Who I Am
by WildHope83
Summary: She moved to heal invisible wounds and walked right into her destiny, but would he still love her when he learned just how broken she was? PaulOC; COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Hello all. Thanks to all of the fabulous readers of my first _Twilight _fan fiction, I have started yet another story. I don't know if this one is going to be as well received because what I have planned will go down a slightly dark path. At the end of this chapter there will probably be more questions than actual anwers, but you'll learn more about my OC as the story goes along. I promise. Again, this story is mildly AU since it is another PaulOC story, but it is not set as far in the future as my previous story. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 1

"Come on, Harper, you can't hide away forever," came the deep voice of my older brother, Jason, from the other side of my bedroom door. I had no plans to hide away for forever. I only had plans to hide away until it was too late to go and have dinner with Jason's new friends. We'd moved to the small town of Forks, Washington from Sacramento, California to try and make a fresh start. We'd barely been there for two weeks and my socially gifted older brother had already made friends with the three guys he worked with.

Through the Chief of Police, Charlie Swann, Jason got a job working with a carpentering company in La Push that was run by a small group of men from the reservation. From what Jason told me the guys were great and easy to get along with even though he felt like he hadn't fit in at first. Jason said it felt like he had to prove himself in some way and once he did, the guys welcomed him into their group. However, he said it still felt like they weren't completely honest with him, but he figured they weren't hiding anything bad. He'd only known them for a little while and didn't expect to know their life stories. One of the guys' wife invited Jason and me to their house for dinner on Friday night and Jason agreed without even bothering to talk to me about it.

"I'm not hiding," I said from where I laid on my bed. I think he had enough of my stalling because he finally opened the door and walked into my room with a frown on his face.

"Come on," he said again. "We're going to be late." I sighed quietly as I climbed from the bed and looked up at Jason. It was easy to tell the two of us were brother and sister. We both had auburn hair that we inherited from our mother and the pale complexions and blue-green eyes that came with our predominately Irish heritage. Jason was slightly taller than me at six feet two inches while I stood a taller than average five feet eight inches. I guess women would call Jason attractive, but he was my brother. He really didn't fall into that category for me. I on the other hand considered myself average at best, even on a good day.

"Jason, why do I have to go with you? Couldn't you tell them I wasn't feeling well or something?" I asked and he put his hands on my shoulders. Aside from my doctor, Jason was the only one I was comfortable with touching me, and it had taken me two years to let him. I still flinched, but it wasn't as noticeable as it used to be.

"Because I'm not going to let you do what you did in Sacramento," he told me firmly. "You'd go to school and come home; go to school and come home; go to school and come home; and then during the summer you'd stay in the house. I had to force you out just to go shopping with me. You need to make some friends, Harper. They're good people. None of them going to care about this," he said as he raised his right hand to my jaw and his eyes glanced at the jagged red scar that rested on my left cheek. The scar went from my temple to my jaw line and it was painfully obvious against my pale skin. His blue-green eyes met mine again and he lowered his hand back to my shoulder.

"Jason," I started but he interrupted.

"I know it's hard, but you've got to try. You're never going to be truly happy if you don't," he said. I took a deep breath and let it out heavily. I knew Jason was right and even though he hadn't been through exactly what I had, the past we've been trying to leave behind affected him too. As Dr. Hamilton told me at our last session three weeks ago, I was more than my past. I just needed to remember that.

"All right," I said lightly as I took the butterfly clip from my hair and let my loose auburn curls fall around my shoulders so my hair covered my face. Jason sighed as he took his hands off my shoulders. "What?" I asked and he pushed my hair behind my ears.

"You don't have to hide it," he said.

"You can still see it, Jason," I said as I fixed my hair back into position. "I just don't want it to be the first thing they see."

"Okay, let's go," he said heavily and I slipped on my tennis shoes before I grabbed a sweater and followed him from my room and down the short hall. Despite the June weather it had been a bit chilly and rainy, so, I wasn't going to leave without a sweater. As I followed him, I could only hope that the night wouldn't be a complete disaster.

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The house we pulled up to after the thirty minute drive was like something out of a made for TV movie set in a small rural town. The yellow house looked inviting even from the outside and I found my nerves slowly ebbing away; that was until a very large man stepped out onto the porch as Jason and I climbed out of his truck. I froze and looked at Jason only to see him smile.

"Hey Sam," Jason said and I quickly looked back to the man, who's stern face broke out into a smile. If I remembered right, Sam was Jason's boss.

"Hey Jason," Sam said, his voice was deep and he turned his eyes to me. "Harper, right?" he asked and I forced a quick smile as I nodded and slowly followed Jason over to the porch.

"Yeah," I said as I followed Jason up the stairs. Jason wasn't kidding when he told me his boss wasn't much older than him and was huge. Sam was at least three inches taller than Jason and was broader. He wasn't fat by any means, he was just all muscle. Jason said all the guys sort of looked alike, and my nerves were back in full force.

"Sorry we're a late," Jason said. "Harper took a little awhile to get ready." Sam sent me another smile before he shook his head and looked back at Jason.

"You're fine. Come on in, Emily and Kim are just getting everything on the table," he said as he gestured towards the open door of the house and the three of us went inside with Jason leading the way.

"Jason, man, you made it," another deep voice said and I looked up as yet another tall young man walked over to Jason and shook his hand. I realized then that Jason wasn't kidding when he said the guys looked alike. The two that I've seen so far could have easily been mistaken for brothers. The guy noticed me then and sent a smile my way. "I'm Jared," he said as he held his hand out to me.

"I'm Harper," I said as I stuck my hands in the pockets of my jeans. He looked a little offended as he lowered his hand and I gave him a small smile. "I don't shake hands; I'm sorry," I said and he shrugged as his smile returned.

"It's okay," he said and I looked at Jason who gave me an encouraging smile. I noticed then that when we entered the house we walked into what looked the like the dining room/kitchen area and beyond it was the living room where another large figure sat on the sofa, staring at the television. I couldn't make out the third man's face because the light from the large window created a shadow over his face. His posture was a little hostile and I had a feeling whoever he was, he wasn't in a very good mood.

"It's nice to finally meet you Jason," came a soft voice and Sam walked by us to help the tall and obviously pregnant woman with the large tray she was carrying. Her smile was warm and welcoming, but the scars on the right side of her face surprised me. They deformed her face slightly, and I suddenly felt very shallow. My one scar was minor compared four that marred her face. However, the scars did very little to take away from her beauty. The kindness in her brown eyes could easily make you forget the scars were even there. "And you must be Harper," she said, as she walked over to me and smiled. We were the same height and I found myself smiling back at her as she looked at me. "I'm Emily, Sam's wife."

"Nice to meet you," I said with a small nod.

"Jared, can you give me a hand?" came another woman's voice from the kitchen and Jared quickly rushed into the kitchen, which made Sam, Jason, and Emily chuckle.

"Thanks for inviting us over, Emily," Jason said and Emily turned her smile from me to Jason.

"You're welcome," she said lightly. "Supper's just about ready, so, go ahead and make yourselves comfortable." She went back into the kitchen and I looked at Sam.

"Um, Sam?" I questioned and he looked at me expectantly. "May I use the bathroom?" I asked and he nodded with a small smile.

"It's just up the stairs and the first door on the right," he said as he gestured towards the stairs that rested in the living room. I smiled at him in thanks and took my hands out of my pockets before I quickly started towards the stairs. Of course, I wasn't watching where I was going at first since my eyes always found the floor more interesting and I ran smack into something very hot and solid. I stumbled back but calloused and hot hands shot out and caught me, saving me from falling.

I gasped as my eyes shot up to the man that held me rather tightly, and the second I did, his hands loosened but didn't leave my arms. For a second the world stopped as my blue-green eyes held the warm brown eyes of the very tall and very handsome man. The scowl on his face slowly melted away and a look of pure shock and surprise filled his face. His lovely eyes softened as a smile came to his face, and he slowly started to raise his left hand to my face. To my surprise, I wasn't freaking out as I stood there and looked up at him. I was oddly comfortable to be standing as close as I was to him and to have him touch me.

"Harper?" Jason questioned slowly from behind me, breaking whatever spell that was between the stranger and me. I shook my head and freed myself from the unknown man's grip before his hand reached my face. I didn't answer my brother, I just rushed past the still staring man, ran up the stairs, and into the bathroom. I closed the door behind me after flipping on the light and I leaned back against the cool wood. I started shaking then and I was hyperventilating slightly as the panic that usually came at unwarranted touch finally flooded me.

It took me a minute, but I soon had my breathing under control again before I pushed off the door. In a quick motion, I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face to help calm myself down. I turned the faucet off and took a deep breath as I rubbed my left hand over my face before I looked at my reflection. After a minute of staring at the dark circles that loomed under my eyes from the lack of sleep I've had over the last couple of days, I turned my eyes away from the mirror and used the facilities like I intended before I washed my hands. When I opened the bathroom door, I wasn't the least bit surprised to find Jason standing on the other side.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked quietly and I nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I just freaked out a bit," I said.

"I'm surprised you didn't the second he grabbed you. You normally would have," he said and I just nodded again before he sighed. "Everyone's waiting," he said and I walked out of the bathroom and followed Jason down the stairs.

Everyone looked at me as I walked up to the table with Jason, including a woman I hadn't seen before. I forced a quick smile at everyone while Jason sank into the seat next to Jared, leaving the seat on his left empty. I faltered a bit when I saw that I would be sitting to the right of the man I had yet to formally meet, but I swallowed hard and slowly sat down in the chair. Quick introductions were made then; the other woman was Kim, Jared's wife, and the man that was sitting far too close to me was Paul.

"Okay everyone, dig in," Emily said brightly and Jason handed me a bowl of mashed potatoes after he had put a healthy scoop onto his plate. I put a little bit on my plate before I handed the bowl over to Paul without looking at his face. I used my hair as a curtain on the left side of my face to block my face from his, and I could still feel his eyes on me. When he took the bowl from me, his fingers brushed against mine and I dropped the bowl into his hands and quickly pulled my hands away.

"Please don't do that," I whispered as I looked up at him and my eyes met his. He frowned before I looked away and took the bowl of vegetables from Jason. Instead of handing the bowl to Paul, I placed it in the empty space between out plates and I heard him sigh before he picked up the bowl and continued it around the circle. I took a piece of chicken from the tray Jason handed me before doing the same thing with it that I did with the bowl of vegetables. Small talk soon filled the room with chatter, but I didn't partake. I imply listened as everyone talked and interacted with each other, and I couldn't help but notice Paul didn't say anything either.

The food was absolutely delicious. Far better than anything either Jason or I had ever come up with, and I found myself wishing I would have taken more potatoes. I glanced around the table for the bowl of potatoes only to see that it rested on the other side of Paul. I wasn't about to ask him to hand it to me, so, I looked away from it and back to my plate with a soft sigh as I speared a steamed baby carrot with my fork and popped it in my mouth. As I chewed the bowl of potatoes suddenly appeared in the space between Paul and I, and before I could stop myself I looked up at him. He, however, was not looking at me, but at his plate as he took another bite from the large piles of food still on his plate.

"Thank you," I whispered as I grabbed the spoon for the potatoes to put some more on my plate, but he didn't look at me. He simply nodded his head to let me know he heard me. I was pretty sure I had insulted him when I told him not to touch me, but when he noticed that I wanted the mashed potatoes he handed them too me anyway. He couldn't have been too terribly of a guy, but the way he had looked at me earlier unnerved me.

I wasn't comfortable being touched. I feared it to the point that I would have a panic attack if someone would just brush against me. That was why I kept to myself and avoided the most crowded halls at school. The seconds that I had been in Paul's arms had been the safest I had felt in the last three years and I was beyond confused as to why. I didn't know him from Adam and yet I wanted to. I decided then that I had lost it and made a mental note to call Dr. Hamilton Monday morning to talk her and see what she thought of the whole thing.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all so much for your reviews. I didn't expect that response! I'm really glad you all liked the first chapter and sorry for the wait. This was supposed to be up yesterday, but I wasn't happy with how the next chapter was going. So, because of the changes I wanted to make in it, I had to change up this one. I hope you all like this chapter, and I promise in the next couple of chapters you'll learn more about Harper and where her scars came from. Thanks again and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the_ Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 2

When dinner was over Sam, Jared, and Jason went out into the backyard to start a fire in the stone fire pit Sam and Emily had in their backyard. I stayed inside to help Emily and Kim clear the table, and for some reason Paul did the same. When Paul and I brought in the last of the dishes, Emily turned and gave me a small smile as she put her hand on her round stomach. "Thank you," she said and I smiled at her in return. "You can go ahead and go outside with the others."

"Are you sure you don't want my help?" I asked and she shook her head as she lowered her hand from her stomach.

"I'm sure, go and relax," Emily said. "We do this often enough with more plates than this. We won't be long." I nodded my head before I left the kitchen and started to cross the living room to the patio door with Paul on my heels. I sighed quietly as we walked outside and over to where Jason at upon one of the large logs that surrounded the fire pit with Jared and watched Sam stoke the fire. A lounge chair rested close the end of one of the logs and near the fire and I assumed Sam had placed that chair there for Emily. Jared must have heard us coming because he looked away from the conversation he was having with Jason and smiled.

"The ladies send you outside?" Jared asked and I smiled as I wrapped my arms around my stomach and nodded.

"Yeah, Emily basically said they had everything under control," I said as I quickly moved to sit next to Jason and away from Paul. He was really starting to freak me out. He hadn't said a word at dinner and I could feel his eyes on me even though every time I looked at him he was focused on his plate or whoever happened to be talking at the time. No one else seemed to notice, so, I figured it must have all been in my slightly paranoid brain. Paul had sat down on the log across the fire from where I sat with Jason and his arms were crossed over his chest and a scowl was on his face as he looked into the fire.

"I gave up on trying to help her with anything in the kitchen a long time ago," Sam said with a fond smile on his face as he finally stopped stoking the bright flames and sat down upon the log next to the lounge chare. "There really is no arguing with her." I smiled at Sam before I moved a bit closer to Jason and the fire as I tried to ward off the chilly evening air.

My body wasn't used to the cooler weather of northwestern Washington just yet and I wrapped my arms around my stomach to keep my body heat in. While I watched the fire, I could tell that Jason wanted to put his arm around me to keep me warm because he kept fidgeting a bit, but he didn't. He knew better. Even though I was comfortable with him touching me, putting his arm around me and holding me close to him was something completely different than a hand on the shoulder or on my back.

Watching the flames dance was sort of mesmerizing and I found myself relaxing. I had been a little on edge the entire night, but Jason had been right. The guys and Emily and Kim were very nice; but Paul was another story. He hadn't said a word all night long. Not one. I knew I wasn't much of a talker, but I had at least talked some during the conversation at the dinner table after a while. The others were cheerful and welcoming while he was . . . well, different. I could feel Paul's eyes on me again as I watched the fire, but I wasn't going to bother to look at him. The odds were pretty good that if I did I would find him still scowling at the fire still.

"Harper?" Jared asked and I jumped from my thoughts and looked at him with a frown when I noticed he was looking at me with a grin.

"Sorry, I didn't hear what you said," I said and Jason, Sam, and Jared chuckled.

"I said: you're not very talkative. You haven't said much since you walked through the door," he said and I blushed lightly. For some reason my eyes glanced to where Paul had been sitting only to find him gone. Before I could wonder where he had gone off to, I quickly turned my eyes back to Jared and gave him a small smile.

"I guess I'm not," I said and Jared was still smiling at me.

"Don't worry, we won't hold it against you," he said with a wink and I laughed lightly. "Jason said you'll be going to Forks High School this fall," he said and I nodded, which made him smile. "Are you looking forward to it?" he asked.

"Did you ever look forward to the start of the school year?" I asked and he laughed as he shook his head negatively.

"Can't say that I did," Jared said and I smiled at him before I looked back at the fire and wrapped my arms around my middle a little tighter. Suddenly, a soft fabric was carefully draped around my shoulders. I jumped slightly before I turned my head and looked over my left shoulder to see Paul draping a warm flannel blanket over my shoulders.

"You looked cold," he said and for some reason my stomach knotted and my heart sputtered at the sound of his voice. It was deep like Sam and Jared's but rougher and huskier. I unwrapped my arms from around my stomach before I brought my hands to the edges of the blanket and while I still looked at Paul, I pulled the blanket around me completely.

"Thank you," I said and he gave me a curt nod before he walked away and settled himself down where he had been sitting before, but the scowl that had been on his face earlier was gone. Kim and Emily came out then and Sam was quick on his feat to help Emily settle herself into the lawn chair next to where he sat. Kim sank down on to the log next to Jared before she laced her arm with his and rested her head on his shoulder.

The small talk started again and I kept my eyes on the fire as I listened. They were mostly sharing stories of the past, with Jason listening mostly and putting his two cents in every once in a while. I liked Jason's new group of friends. Jared reminded me a lot of Jason, of how he was before everything that happened; however, I noticed that Jason was slowly becoming his old self again. I was pretty sure I had the people around me to thank for that.

Sam acted older than what I assumed he was, and he doted on Emily who, over dinner, I had learned was nearly eight months along in her pregnancy. Kim and Jared were recently married and as far as I knew Paul wasn't seeing anyone, which was somewhat relieving. I frowned and mentally shook my head to get rid of the feeling. There was no reason for me to be relieved that Paul wasn't seeing anyone. It was ridiculous for me to feel that way. I didn't know him and I shouldn't have cared either way.

The familiar burn of eyes on me came over me and I knew that Paul was looking at me again. I braved a look at him over the flames and to my surprise, I actually caught him. He didn't look away like I had expected him to. Instead he met my eyes evenly over the fire, and very slowly a smile made its way across his lips as he looked at me. My stomach knotted again and I found myself starting to smile back; but I quickly stopped myself. I looked away from him then and back at the fire as a blush raged across my cheeks.

"Does anyone want anything to drink? I've got some iced tea in the fridge," Emily said as the sun was starting to set and everyone nodded. Emily made to stand, but Kim stood and shook her head.

"Oh no you don't," Kim said. "You rest. I'll get it." I stood up, leaving the blanket on the log, which made everyone looked at me. I smiled through the blush that had remained on my face and gestured towards Kim.

"I'll help," I said and Kim smiled brightly at me before the two of us made out way into the house and to the kitchen.

"Would you mind getting the pitcher from the fridge while I get the glasses?" she asked and I shook my head negatively before I walked over to the fridge and opened the door.

"Whoa," I said as I took in the severely stuffed refrigerator. Kim chuckled as she started putting tall glasses on the counter and I looked at her.

"Emily's always feeding a small army, so, she keeps her cupboards pretty well stocked," Kim said and I laughed as I pulled the plastic pitcher from the fridge before I walked over to the counter Kim stood at.

"I can see that," I said and she smiled at me. Without really thinking I tucked my hair behind my ears before I set to pouring the tea into the glasses Kim had sitting on the counter. It was when I was filling up the second glass that I heard her sharp intake of breath. I didn't look at her as I moved onto the third glass; I didn't have to. I knew what it was that made her gasp.

"What happened?" Kim asked softly while I started to pour the fourth glass. I remained silent and I heard her let out a heavy breath. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that." I stopped pouring the tea and looked at her. "I really should know better," she said as she turned her apologetic eyes to mine. "I just . . . I hadn't even noticed it until you put your hair behind your ears and Jared told me about Emily's scars before I met her. I didn't-"

"It's okay, Kim" I said interrupting her flustered apology. She didn't have to say she was sorry, most people didn't ask that question with the same concern that she did. Most people when they saw it just blurted it out of curiosity, but I heard the concern in Kim's voice and that was new. She didn't look like she believed me, so, I offered her a small smile. "Honestly, don't worry about it. I shouldn't have kept it hidden all night anyway." I returned my eyes to the glasses and started to pour the fifth glass. The air around us had shifted a bit and became awkward, just like it always did when someone noticed my scar for the first time.

"Harper," Kim said as I finished pouring the last glass and I looked at her. "You know if you ever want to talk . . . Emily and me . . . we're good listeners."

"Thanks, Kim, but . . . I'm . . . it's . . . it's . . . it's really complicated," I stumbled through my words and she smiled at me as she nodded and pulled a serving tray from the cupboard.

"Well, whenever you're ready we'll be here," she said and I gave her a small smile and nod of my head before I turned to put the nearly empty pitcher back in the fridge and fixed my hair once again so it covered my face. Kim carried the tray through the house with me following behind her with the two glasses that wouldn't fit on the tray in my hands. Kim walked faster than I did and had handed out the glasses to Jared, Jason, Sam, Emily, and herself; leaving me to bring the extra glass I carried to Paul. The smile she sent me as she sat back down next to Jared had me thinking she did that on purpose. Paul was looking at me expectantly and butterflies erupted in my stomach as I walked over to him.

"Here you go," I said softly as I held out the glass in my right hand to him. My eyes were focused on the glass because I didn't want to look at him, but when he didn't take the glass from my hands, I couldn't help but look at him. He stood then and out of instinct, I took a step back as my eyes followed him to his full height. Like I said earlier, I wasn't short at five feet eight inches, but as he stood in front of me I realized just how tall he was. He was nearly a full foot taller than I was. He had to have been at least six five or six-six, just like Sam and Jared. I thought it strange that I didn't feel as intimidated by the other two men as I did Paul.

"Thanks," he said roughly as he took the glass from me.

"You're welcome," I said before I turned away, and moved back to where Jason sat. Paul was definitely an interesting man.

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"Good morning, Health and Wellness Center, how can I help you?" asked the soft voice of Penelope, Dr. Hamilton's receptionist.

"Morning, Penelope, this is Harper Cavanagh," I said as I sat down onto the sofa and put my feet up on the coffee table. Jason was at work so he couldn't yell at me not to. "Is Dr. Hamilton free?"

"Sure, Harper, let me put you through to her," Penelope said before hold music came on. It was early Monday, not even eight yet, and I knew that Dr. Hamilton's office opened at seven but she didn't start to see patients until nine. After Friday night I had spent Saturday and Sunday in movie marathon mode. Sam and Emily had invited us to their place again on Saturday, but I didn't want to go. As much as I liked them, I wasn't ready for another social gathering; so, Jason had gone alone and brought me back a heck of a lot of food that Emily insisted that he bring me. I planned on finishing it off at lunch time.

"Harper, when I hadn't heard from you that first week I thought for sure you wouldn't be calling," came the cheery voice of Dr. Margaret Hamilton.

"I wasn't excepting to call you either, but you did say I could call when I had a problem and one has sort of come up," I said as I picked at a piece of lint from the tank top that was serving as my pajama shirt at the moment.

"Oh?" she asked. "Is everything going okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine; nothing much has changed it's just a different town," I said. "But on Friday, Jason took me to his boss' place and I met the guys he worked with and two of their wives."

"How did that go?" she asked, switching on her psychologist button. Dr. Hamilton had become my friend more than my doctor over the last three years, and she knew everything there was to know about me.

"Fine, but . . .," I trailed off, not exactly sure how to continue.

"But?" she prodded and I sighed as I rested my head back against the sofa and looked up at the ceiling.

"But there was this guy, one of the guys Jason works with," I said. "I wasn't watching where I was going and I ran right into him. He grabbed me to stop me from falling and I didn't freak out. I actually felt . . . safe when I looked up at him. It wasn't until Jason said my name that I realized I wasn't afraid. When the panic came it wasn't as severe as it usually is."

"Well, maybe the move has lessened your stress level," Dr. Hamilton said. "From what Jason was telling me the area you moved to is rural and quiet. You don't have a lot going on around you now and you're able to focus without the constant fear of something happening."

"Maybe," I said softly as I righted my head.

"Was everyone you met nice?" Dr. Hamilton asked and I smiled.

"Yeah, they were all very nice," I said, "but the guy I mentioned . . . he didn't say much at all. I think he only said like four words the whole night. Other than that he just stared at me."

"He stared at you?" Dr. Hamilton asked, sounding curious.

"I only caught him once, but I could feel his eyes on me the whole night." I laughed quietly and shook my head. "I could have imagined it for all I know, but I felt like he was staring at me."

"How did that make you feel?" Dr. Hamilton asked.

"I don't know," I said honestly.

"What do you mean you don't know?" she asked and I sighed.

"I mean that I don't have the slightest clue how to describe what I was feeling," I said and I could just see the frown on her face as she processed my words. It took her three months to get me to open up, but once she had I was an open book for her to read. "I was curious and slightly freaked out, but something else was going on and I really can't describe it."

"You're usually so good at describing how you feel, Harper," she said.

"I know," I said sounding just as confused as she did.

"Well, maybe this is a good thing," she said. "Maybe you're finally opening up to people other than your brother and me."

"Yeah, maybe," I said softly before there was a knock on the door. I jumped a bit and looked to the triple deadbolt locked door. "Would it be all right if I called you again, you know to talk a little more about this?"

"Harper, you know you can call me anytime you wish," she said. "You have my home number. You could have even called me on Saturday if you had wanted to."

"I didn't want to bother you on the weekend," I said with a small smile. "I'll try and keep my crazy reserved for the weekdays." She laughed even though she often told me I wasn't crazy. I tended to think otherwise.

"Okay, but still keep in touch," she said. "I want to know how you're doing."

"I will," I said and there was another firm knock on the door. "I'll call you soon."

"Okay, take care," she said and I smiled.

"Bye," I said.

"Good bye Harper," she said and I hung up the phone before I lowered my short clad legs from the coffee table and walked over to the door with the phone clasped tightly in my hand just in case. I looked through the peephole and gasped when I saw Paul standing on the other side of the door.

I quickly turned my back to the door and rested against it with my heart hammering in my chest. However, it wasn't racing out of fear like I was used to. I knew that feeling all too well. What had me on edge was different. The feeling coursing through me was the same unknown feeling that raced through me on Friday night. I had no idea what to do, but I knew I couldn't leave him out on the porch all day. He knocked again, harder and much louder than the first two. I jumped because the sound echoed right behind my head and after taking a deep breath, I pushed myself away from the door and unlocked the three deadbolts before I slowly opened the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone. I hope you all had a nice weekend. I don't really have time to say much other than thank you for all of your reviews and adds. I do hope you like this chapter. There is a small section that may be a little intense. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 3

"Hi," I said softly as I looked up at him. "Jason left for work about fifteen minutes ago, so, you just miss him."

"I'm actually here to see you," Paul said and I laughed nervously.

"Me?" I asked as I carefully kept my head slightly to the side so he couldn't see the scar on my face. My hair was up and in a messy bun on the back of my head and I didn't want him to see my scar. That desire was stronger with him than with anyone else and I didn't know why. He smiled at me and nodded his head while he scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah, can I come in and . . . talk?" he asked as he lowered his hand from his neck. My grip tightened on the cordless phone in my hand as I hesitated to answer. Something told me that Paul wouldn't hurt me, but that fear was always in the back of my mind, however, as he looked at me expectantly I had to give him an answer.

"Um, could you give me ten minutes to get dressed?" I asked and his eyes left my face then and scanned down my body before he quickly returned his eyes to mine.

"Sure, I'll just wait out here," he said and I blushed before I nodded and closed the door. I didn't bother locking it before I walked over to the coffee table and put the phone down. I made my way to my room with my heart pounding a million miles a minute. I quickly grabbed a pair of jeans from my closet before I grabbed a t-shirt from my dresser drawer. After changing my underwear and throwing on a bra I got dressed and pulled my hair out of the messy bun it was in before I ran a brush through the curly mass. When I was done, I debated if I should have kept it up because my curls were frizzy and some were sticking up at odd angles. However, after a second of debating I decided that I was going to leave it down and with it being frizzy it hid my face better.

I walked out of my bedroom, down the hall, and stopped when I reached the living room. I looked out the large window that that the TV rested in front of and through the open curtains I could see Paul standing on the porch. His back was to the house as he leaned down onto the wood railing, supporting his weight with his hands and looking out across the yard and to the road that the house sat on. It gave me the opportunity to study him a bit, and I could clearly see his profile from where I stood at the end of the hall where it met the living room.

His features were sharp, but smooth at the same time, and his russet skin looked like it glowed gold as the cloud filtered sunlight hit his face. His shoulders were broad and thanks to the fitted cotton fabric of his t-shirt it was easy to see the strong muscles of his arms, shoulders and back. I would admit to no one but myself that I found Paul to be a very handsome guy, but it was pointless. Despite his staring problem a guy like him wouldn't at a girl like me with any sort of interest. Shaking my head I continued across the living room and to the door. I opened it and Paul was quick to the doorway from where he had been standing.

"Come on in," I said as I gave him a tight smile and opened the door further so he could step inside. He walked into the house and glanced around before he looked back down at me. I closed the door and nervously stuck my hands into the front pocket of my jeans. "Um, do you want something to drink?" I asked and he grinned.

"Sure," he said and I walked past him towards the kitchen. I heard him follow me and when we walked into the eat in kitchen, I gestured towards the dining table without looking at him.

"You can have a seat if you like," I said as I moved to the fridge and opened it. "We have milk, orange juice, soda, water, and grape juice," I said as I turned my eyes to where Paul was settled at the table.

"Water's fine," he said and I nodded before I grabbed the water pitcher for him and the carton of orange juice for me. I closed the fridge with my barefoot and turned to the counter behind me. I sat the carton and the pitcher onto the counter and grabbed two tall glasses out of the cupboard and sat them down on the counter. The silence was a bit heavy since I could feel him staring at me as I poured the water and juice into their respected glasses. I put the carton and pitcher back into the fridge before I picked up the glasses and walked over to the table. "Thanks," Paul said as I sat his glass of water in front of him and slowly sat down on the chair across from him. I nodded as I took a drink of my orange juice and then subtly spun the glass as I sat it down onto the wooden table.

"So, um, why are you here?" I asked after a few minutes of Paul just staring at me in the silence that surrounded us.

"I just wanted to check on you," he said and I raised an eyebrow at his words. "You didn't come to Sam and Emily's on Saturday and Jason said you weren't feeling very well. If I hadn't had to work yesterday, I would have come over then."

"Oh," I said softly before I looked away from him and at my glass of juice.

"You don't look like you've been sick," he said and I looked at him again. "Why did Jason say you were?" Lying never got a person anywhere and I didn't know why Jason told them I wasn't feeling well. I tried not to lie; I usually just omitted things or danced around certain aspects when people asked certain questions

"I wasn't sick," I said and he frowned. "I'm . . . ," I trailed off and sighed heavily before I lowered both my hands to my lap and nervously fidgeted with my fingers. "If you didn't notice on Friday, I'm not a very social person. I don't do well around people in intimate settings."

"You're doing fine right now and it's just the two of us," he said, still frowning.

"Glad you think so," I muttered under my breath as I looked away from him and out the patio window.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked and I looked at him quickly with my own frown on my face.

"You heard me?" I asked and he nodded as he seemed to think quickly.

"You didn't exactly whisper," he said, but I knew that I had. However, I let it slide. "Are you going to answer me?" he asked. There was an edge to his voice that made me shift in my seat before I reached for my orange juice and took a drink. My insides were shaking in slight fear, but like at the door I had the sense that he wouldn't hurt me.

"What does it matter?" I asked, answering his question with a question of my own.

"It matters to me," he said and I frowned. "Do I make you uncomfortable?" I looked back at my glass and spun it again and answered him without looking at him.

"Sort of," I said honestly and then he was silent for minute.

"Why?" he asked softly. His tone suggested that he was hurt by my admission and I looked up at him to see the same hurt that was in his tone was in his eyes.

"I'm not comfortable around people I don't know," I said and his eyes softened as he seemed to study my face for a few seconds.

"Is there anything I can do to make you comfortable around me?" he asked and I shook my head as I shrugged my shoulders.

"Not really. I just get nervous, especially when Jason isn't around," I said.

"You're close to your brother," he said more than asked but I nodded anyway. He nodded too and let out a heavy breath before he took a drink of his water. "Why do you live with him and not your parents? When we asked him he never told us why." I bristled and my entire body tensed at his words. It really wasn't any of his business, and as he took in the change of my body language he sat back in his chair and shook his head. "Never mind, you don't have to answer that." He looked at the table and ran his right hand over the top of his head and ruffled his short black hair.

"Paul," I started but stopped when his eyes shot to mine so quickly I was surprised he didn't have whiplash for how fast he raised his head. "What?" I asked when I noticed he was giving me a strange look. He shook his head and blinked as he smiled gently at me.

"Nothing," he said slowly and I cleared my throat as I shifted in my seat again. "What were you saying?" he asked and I looked away from him before I stood from my chair and brought my half empty glass to the sink.

"I think you should probably go," I said as I dumped out my glass before I rinsed it and put it in the dishwasher.

"What? Why?" he asked quickly and I turned around to find him standing not three feet from me. I hadn't even heard him get out of the chair let alone cross half the room. He was even wearing a pair of heavy boots that should have echoed loudly on the tiled floor. I gasped and took a step back and found myself hitting my back on the counter.

My hands gripped the back of the counter behind me in surprise and I shook my hair out of my eyes as I looked up at him. Suddenly, his eyes flickered to the left side of my face and his eyes darkened again. He closed the small distance between us and held the right side of my face with his left hand and pushed my hair from my face to completely reveal my scar to his eyes. It all happened so quickly it took me a second to react and I raised my hands to his chest and tried to push him away from me.

"Get away from me! Don't touch me!" I shouted as I started shaking. He stumbled back from me with his hands raised and a scowl on his face. I turned away from him, using the counter to support my weight as I tried to calm myself down. My eyes were closed tight as the tears welled and the panic set in. He hadn't been rough with me in the slightest but when he grabbed me, I flashed back to the night I got the scars that not only marred my body but my mind too. I went back to the night that changed my life, and who I was, for forever.

"What happened to you? Who did that to you?" he asked quietly from behind me. "Harper," he said. His voice was rough but gentle at the same time. It only made the tears win and they fell from my eyes. "Harper, talk to me."

"Just leave, please, just leave," I said my voice shaking as the tears continued to fall. I heard him literally growl behind me before I heard him storm off and the front door slam shut. I let out a sob then as I slowly lowered myself to the kitchen floor and brought my knees to my chest. I wrapped my arms around my shins and rested my forehead against my knees as I cried.

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My body was shaking as the disgusting man behind me held me tightly to him and with a hunting knife to my throat. "She's such a pretty young thing isn't she?" he sneered behind me and I felt like I was going to throw up.

"_Don't hurt her," came my father's weak voice from where he was tied to one of our dining room chairs and sitting barely ten feet from where I stood with the man. Blood was pouring from a wound on my father's forehead and he was trying to fight the knots that bound him to the chair but it was useless. My mother laid on the floor at his feet unconscious, at least I hoped she was. Her dress was torn and blood was coming out of her mouth and even in the dim lighting of the unfinished part of the basement I could tell that her once tan skin was ashen and pale. "I'll give you whatever you want," my father said, "just don't . . . don't hurt her." My father's green eyes that were full of pain and fear pleaded with mine. He wanted me to stay strong and to fight as best I could, but I was scared._

"_No one can give me what I want back," the man said darkly before he chuckled. "However, you're daughter will probably be a little more fun than your wife." He lowered his head a bit so he could whisper in my ear, but it was loud enough that my father heard him all the same. "I bet you haven't even been kissed by a boy yet have you sweetheart," he said before he licked my earlobe. I tried to pull my head away but the knife at my throat stopped me and I whimpered and started to cry as he kissed the skin of my neck just under my ear._

"_Stop!" my father shouted as he fought harder against the knots and jumped in the chair, making it shift positions so he was even closer to my mother's unconscious form. "Just let her go." The man raised his head and laughed again._

"_I don't think so," he said as he raised the knife from my throat, kissed the top of my head and ran the knife along my left cheek from my temple to my jaw. I screamed at the pain and closed my eyes before he roughly pulled me back and into the finished part of the basement towards the room that used to be Jason's. I could hear my father shouting my name as I screamed and tried to fight against the man's tight grip._

"_Harper!" he shouted. "Harper!" I screamed as the man threw me down onto Jason's old bed and I tried to calmer away but he caught me easily. I tried to fight him off as he grabbed at me, but it was no use as he ripped my t-shirt from my body. I screamed again and he punched me across my right cheek while my left continued to bleed everywhere._

"_Harper!" he mocked with a laugh before he roughly grabbed my face and forced his lips onto mine. I gagged against his lips as he stuck his tongue in my mouth, but I couldn't fight him. He was too strong and I was too weak and his hands were everywhere. There was no escaping him._

* * *

"Harper wake up!" a voice demanded and strong hands were on my shoulders. I fought the hands out of instinct, but their grip only tightened the owner pulled me closer. "Harper it's me! It's Jason," he said and I opened my eyes to see my brother looking down at me with nothing but concern etched across his face.

I let out a sob before I threw my arms around him. Jason's body stiffened at first, but it took him half a second to wrap his arms around me and embrace me. For the first time in three years I wanted the comfort only a hug could bring and I cried into his neck.

"It's okay, Harper, I'm here," he said soothingly. "It's okay." He let me cry for a few minutes until the tears finally quieted and I pulled back from him to wipe at my eyes. "Why were you sleeping on the kitchen floor?" he asked gently when I lowered my hands to my lap and I looked up at him with a frown until I remembered the events of the morning. I must have fallen asleep at some point during my breakdown after Paul left.

"I must have fallen asleep," I muttered, saying my thoughts out loud. My voice sounded odd and my throat hurt a bit. I realized then that I must have been screaming in my sleep. "What time is it?"

"A little after one," he said as he gently pushed my hair from my face. I didn't flinch like I normally would have and after my nightmare I found my brother's warm touch comforting for the first time in a long time. "Paul said he came by this morning and that I should probably come home for lunch to check on you. What happened because he was in a foul mood all morning?"

"He noticed my scar and started asking questions," I said, omitting the part where Paul grabbed me upon seeing my scar. Jason would probably punch him in the face if I told him that, and for some funny reason I didn't want Jason to hurt Paul in any way. "I freaked and told him to leave," I said before I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. "When he left I sat down on the floor to get myself together and I must have fallen asleep."

"I heard you screaming when I pulled up in the truck," he said. "Was it a nightmare?"

"Yeah," I said softly as I shook my head and stood from the floor, "but I don't want to talk about it." Jason sighed as he too stood from the floor. "What do you want for lunch?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Harper," Jason said but I shook my head and gave him a pointed look.

"What do you want for lunch, Jason?" I asked and he pursed his lips.

"Surprise me," he said before he turned away from me. "I've got to make a quick phone call. I'll be right back." I nodded and went to the fridge as I tried to put the images from my dream behind me.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and ads. I'm sorry I didn't respond to everyone's reviews, this week has been a little crazy and I've barely had time to write or even edit much; so, if this chapter is awful I'm sorry. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight _series.

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Chapter 4

The following morning I woke up from the two hours of sleep I managed to get that night feeling like I had been ran over by a bus. The nightmares had come back full force and every time I closed my eyes I fell into the same hell over and over again. My entire body ached and my headed pounded to the point that the sound almost echoed in my ears. I had woken Jason a couple of times during the night and he had come running into my room to calm me down. Unlike before, I actually let him comfort me and it surprised me that I actually felt safer when he did.

I sighed quietly as I looked at the alarm clock on my nightstand and saw the bright red numbers read 6:03 in the morning. I had no plans on going back to sleep and I didn't want to get out of bed, but my mouth was dry and I was very thirsty. Jason was probably up and getting ready to head into work anyway. I sighed again before I slowly climbed from the bed and pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead as the pounding moved from the back of my head to the front. I lowered my hand and stood from the bed, shivering a bit as my feet hit the cool wood of the floor.

As I walked quietly down the hall into the living room, I stretched my neck to the sides and earned several loud 'pops' as I did so. I sighed contentedly at the release that washed over my shoulders after I did that, but the tension wasn't gone for long. When I walked into the kitchen I groaned at the loud noise of the coffee pot finishing up its percolation. "Morning," Jason said softly and I moved my eyes from the tile floor to see him standing at the counter, pouring himself a cup of coffee from the pot.

"Morning, would you pour me a cup of that?" I asked as I sat down at the coffee table. He shot me a pitiful look before he grabbed another mug from its hanging hook under the counter above the coffee pot. He poured some milk in my mug and brought it along with the small bowl of sugar and a spoon over to me. "Thanks," I said as I put three spoonfuls of sugar into the tan coffee and stirred it. I wasn't one for coffee, which was why I added so much sugar, but I needed the caffeine if I was going to make it through the day.

"Did you get any sleep at all last night?" he asked before he took a drink of his black coffee after he sat down at the table with me. I never understood how he could drink coffee without anything in it to take away the bitterness.

"Some and I'm sorry I woke you up," I said before I took a drink of my own coffee. I made a face as I put the cup back down on the table and added another spoonful of sugar.

"Don't be," Jason said as he shook his head and I looked at him. "You haven't had nightmares like that for two years," he said quietly and I nodded my head as I sighed yet again. "I'm going to talk to Paul and I'm going to tell him to stay the hell away from you." For some bizarre reason my chest tightened at the thought of never seeing Paul again, but I pushed it away and shook my head as I held Jason's eyes.

"Don't jeopardize your job, Jason," I said and he shrugged with his indifference clear on his face.

"We really don't need the money right now, Harp," he said, calling me by nickname that he had given me when we were little. "We'll be fine until I can find something else."

"Jason," I said, "I really like Kim and the others. They're good people and you can't leave Sam shorthanded."

"Harper, because of Paul you're nightmares are back full force," he argued, a frown on his face. "Do you think I like waking up to you screaming and begging for your life in the middle of the night again?" I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes and centered my thoughts, pulling them away from the images that filled my mind while I slept. I opened my eyes and met his gaze evenly.

"Paul made a mistake and he left when I told him to. He doesn't know; none of them know what happened to me, to us. You can't hold it against him." Jason was still frowning at me as I spoke and after a second he looked down at the table and raised his coffee cup to his lips. "You can't expect your friends or the even whole town to walk on eggshells around me when they don't know anything about me yet. Besides, I don't want them to."

"When did you become the voice of reason, especially at six-thirty in the morning?" he asked before he took a drink of his coffee and looked back at me.

"You have almost three and a half years of therapy to thank for that," I said before I took a drink of my own coffee. We sat in silence for a little while longer before Jason sighed and stood.

"I'll be home around five," Jason said and I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and he smiled at me. "I won't say anything to him, I promise." He started to walk out of the kitchen when I stood and quickly caught his arm. He looked down at me with a frown, but I didn't pay any attention to it. Hesitantly, I wrapped my arms around his torso and hugged him, resting my head on his shoulder. Again, Jason stiffened but he was quick to return my embrace. "This is new," he said quietly and I smiled. I had been able to stand Jason's touch for a while now, but I still felt a mild rush of fear. However, as I hugged my brother and he hugged me back the fear didn't come and I relaxed into his arms.

"I love you, Jason," I whispered and he sighed softly before he squeezed me gently.

"I love you too, Harper," he said and we slowly pulled apart. When I looked up at him, tears lined my eyes but they weren't like the tears I usually cried. I was happy despite my aching body, pounding head, and heavy heart. I wasn't afraid for him to hug me or even touch me. His touch comforted me like it should have, but I had a feeling at that moment in time he was probably the only one. "Hey, what's wrong?" I shook my head and smiled through my tears.

"Nothing," I said. "Have a nice day." He smiled at me and when he raised his hand and rested it on my neck. I didn't flinch.

"I'll see you later," he said as he lowered his hand and walked out of the kitchen, through the living room, and out the front door. The second he was gone whatever energy I had gotten in the ten minutes of sitting with him left me and I sighed heavily before I turned back to the table. I cleared away our coffee cups and my spoon and put the sugar bowl back in its place on the counter before I turned off the kitchen light and walked into the living room. I grabbed the TV remote from the coffee table and turned on the morning news as I sat down on the sofa.

My mind strayed away from the stories the anchors were talking about as I looked out the large window behind the TV. Jason had opened the curtains and I could easily see outside. The sun had already risen but the dimness of the light was all the confirmation I needed that the sky was overcast yet again. I was pretty sure I hadn't seen much of the sun since our move to Forks, but I really hadn't gone outside to really judge. Aside from the one trip to Sam and Emily's house, I had kept myself locked away in the house. I shook my head slight before I returned my eyes to the television.

As I sat there with the anchors' voices humming in my ears, my eyes grew heavy and sleep threatened to claim me. I shook my head roughly and turned off the television before I put the remote back on the coffee table and stood from the sofa. I walked into my room and hastily grabbed my robe before I went into the bathroom, only pausing long enough to grab a towel from the linen closet. I needed a shower to wake me up fully and then I was going to go for a walk; a nice walk in the early morning air to keep myself alert. If I sat around the house, I would fall asleep and that was the last thing I wanted just then.

* * *

Even though there was an overcast of light and dark gray clouds dampened the mood outside, Forks was really beautiful place. I was walking down the road with my hands in the pockets of the light jacket I had pulled on before I left the house. There was a slight breeze and it blew my hair that I had left down after I dried it. It was straight for once but the longer I was outside the more the curls were starting to come back. One had to love the moisture of northwestern Washington.

I was surrounded by trees as I walked along the side of the road. I had left the line of houses a while ago and I realized that I was heading the direction of La Push, but I wasn't going to go that far. It would take me all day to get there if I tried. I didn't plan on going much further. I'd been walking for over an hour and my feet were starting to ache a bit in my less than ideal tennis shoes. I was in desperate need of a new pair and I made a mental note to ask Jason for some money so I could get a pair. I pulled my hands out of my pockets and tucked my hair behind my ears only to jump at the sound of a car zooming by from behind me. I let out a surprised shout as I stumbled over a rock I hadn't noticed and I found myself tumbling down the ditch to the tree line.

"Could I be any more graceful?" I asked the sky softly and the tops of the trees that I was looking up at from the prone position I landed in on my back. I was tempted to just lay there since I was so tired, but it would have been very stupid for me to do that. Now I had a reason for my body to ache and I winced as I sat up and put my hand on my lower back. I stretched my back and sighed before I picked myself up from the ground and brushed the grass and dirt from my jeans and jacket before I started running my fingers through my hair to free it of the same debris and a few small twigs that had found their way into the now curly mass of hair.

"Are you okay?" a deep voice asked from behind me and I let out yet another shout as I spun around to see a shirtless Paul with concern etched across his face. I was stunned to find him standing there and the fact that he was only wearing a pair of jean cut offs threw me for a bit of a loop.

"Fine," I said tightly before I quickly trudged up the steep hill only to slip on the mud. Hands were on my waist the heat from Paul's hands seeped through my jacket and made me gasp as he helped me right myself.

"I don't think you're okay," he said and I pushed his hands from my waist. Surprisingly, I wasn't afraid like I would have been and I didn't freak out like usual. I was perfectly fine; I just wasn't comfortable with him touching me yet like I was Jason. I stumbled a bit as I turned to look up at him, but he didn't reach out to steady me. "Sorry," he said softly and I shook my head.

"It's fine. Thank you," I said before I bit my lip and I turned to start my way back up the hill when his voice stopped me.

"Harper," he said quickly and I turned back to look at him. He took a slow breath through his nose and his eyes softened as he looked at me. "I'm sorry for yesterday," he said slowly as his dark eyes locked with mine. "I shouldn't have grabbed you like that. Whatever happened . . .," he trailed off and I noticed his fists clenched at his sides and shook slightly before he took a deep breath and continued. "Whatever happened, it must have been pretty bad for you to react that way to me and I really am sorry for scaring you." His voice was very tight as he spoke and his eyes flickered from my eyes to the side of my face as he did.

I nodded and looked away from him and at the ground only to notice his bare feet. He wasn't wearing any shoes either, which was odd, and other than the one car that had startled me there hadn't been another one on the road. No one but me was along the road as I had been walking and it was like Paul just came out of nowhere. I looked up at his stressed face and before I could stop myself the question escaped my lips.

"Where did you come from?" I asked and he shifted his stance before he ran his hand through his hair and gestured towards the trees as he lowered his hand from his head.

"I was in the woods," he said.

"Barefoot?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and he shrugged.

"I like to rough it," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and a strange expression on his face; and I couldn't help it. I laughed at his expression and I quickly raised my hand to my mouth to muffle the sound, but I was too late. Paul's face lit up in a beautiful smile when I laughed and I blushed as I lowered my hand.

"You should be careful," I said through a smile. I didn't really know if I should believe him or not, but I did even though I had no reason to. "You could step on something and cut your foot up pretty bad."

"I'm always careful," he said, still smiling. We just looked at each other for several beats and I watched as his smile slowly morphed into a frown. "You don't look like you feel very well, are you okay?" I looked away from him and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said softly as I looked towards the road. "I should get home," I said before I looked back at him and he took half a step closer to me with his frown still set on his face.

"Let me walk with you," he said.

"You don't have to walk me," I said. "I'll be fine on my own. It's really not that far." He gave me a half smile and shook his head.

"You're actually a quarter of the way to La Push," he said. "You walked quite a ways."

"I hadn't realized I'd gone that far," I said softly and Paul's smile grew slightly as he looked at me.

"Let me walk you home, Harper," he said. I realized then that Paul should have been on the job that Jason was working with the others, and I didn't have the slightest clue why he wasn't.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" I asked and he shook his head.

"Sam told me to take some time off. I wasn't in the best of moods yesterday when I got on site," he said. "Well?" he questioned and I nodded.

"Okay," I said answering his question and he smiled at me again before the two of us made our way up the hill towards the road.

Once we reached the road and started walking the direction I had been coming from we walked in silence. After ten silent minutes, I noticed my pace was slowing as I walked and I had a hard time keeping my eyes open. I closed my eyes for a second as I walked, but that was long enough for me to trip again. Paul had very quick reflexes because he caught me and saved me from tumbling down into the ditch again. I gasped at the heat the radiated off of him as he held me close to him. My eyes snapped open and I looked up at him. My heart raced and jumped up into my throat at the concern I saw in his eyes.

"You're not okay," he said gently. I didn't pull away from him and since I didn't he didn't let me go. Paul's arms around me at that moment were comforting like Jason's embrace had suddenly become. Standing there with him, I felt like nothing would ever hurt me again. I figured those feelings and my willingness to stay in his arms was thanks to my clouded and sleep deprived brain.

"Yes I am," I said but I didn't sound very convincing, even to myself.

"Do you have a cell phone?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, why?" I asked and he let go of me and held out his right hand.

"I'm going to call your brother to come and pick you up and take you home. You shouldn't walk all the way back home when you can barely walk fifty yards," he said and I shook my head as I turned away from him and started down the road again.

"I'll be fine, Paul," I said over my shoulder and he quickly caught up with me. "I didn't get much sleep last night and I guess I'm more tired than I realized when I left the house."

"Harper," he said as he gently took a hold of my arm and yet again I was okay with him touching me. I looked up at him and blinked a few times when there was suddenly two of him. The exhaustion was quickly catching up with me and I was suddenly glad I wasn't alone on the side of the road anymore. "If you've got to walk, let me carry you."

"What?" I asked.

"Let me carry you the rest of the way," he said.

"Don't be ridiculous, Paul," I said. "You'd break your back." I wasn't fat, but I didn't have the perfect body. I was carrying around an extra fifteen pounds and sadly it was all in my hips.

"You don't weigh anything compared to what I'm usually hauling around," he said. "For my peace of mind, please. I don't want you falling and getting hurt." To my foggy brain his offer was very tempting and my body was crying for me to lie down.

"All right, but when I get too heavy put me down," I said and he shook his head as he lowered his hand from my arm and gently grasped my wrist before he grabbed my other one and put my hands behind his neck. He leaned down and his face was even with mine. The position was rather intimate and I normally would have been afraid, but I was too tired to pull away from him as we looked into each other's eyes.

"I won't have to," he said softly. He put his right arm under my knees and his left behind my back before he lifted me like I was nothing.

He settled me in his arms and started to walk down the road. I was very comfortable and I sighed quietly as I lowered my right arm to rest on my stomach while my left hand remained on his right shoulder. I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes as his body heat warmed me instantly. I tried to fight the sleep that threatened to claim me, but it was no use. I was too tired and Paul, despite being solid muscle, was too comfortable and I soon drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello everyone! I hope you all have had a nice weekend and Happy Valentine's Day! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm so glad you all are enjoying this story as well. I'm not so sure about this chapter, but I hope you all like it. Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 5

"Harper," a deep voice said from somewhere above me and I fought against the consciousness that tried to pull me from the best sleep I had gotten in ages. I didn't want to wake up, but the voice was insistent. "Harper," the voice said again and I sighed before I slowly opened my eyes only to gasp and pull my head back when I realized where I was. I was in Paul's arms and he was standing on my porch. He gave me a small smile as I looked up at his face and I blushed a bit before I looked away from him and at the door to my house.

"Put me down, please," I said and slowly he did as I asked. He settled me on my feet and once I was steady, I looked up at him. "Thank you, Paul," I said and he nodded his head before I turned away from him. I quickly went to the door and pulled the small ring of keys from my jacket pocket. I unlocked the door and opened it. However, I didn't go inside. I turned slightly with my hand still on the doorknob and I looked up at Paul. "Do you want to come in for a bit?"

"Trust me when I say that I would love to, but I think its best that I don't. You should lie down and get some more sleep," he said gently as he looked down at me and I nodded. I was still tired and thankfully I hadn't had any nightmares while I had been asleep in Paul's arms. Maybe since I was so tired, they wouldn't make an appearance again . . . at least for a little while. Tentatively he reached out with his right hand and since I was more coherent, I tensed but didn't move away as he tucked my hair behind my left ear. I looked away from him when he lowered his hand and into the house. After a second I looked back at him and took a deep breath before I spoke.

"Thank you again, Paul," I said. "I probably would have ended up in the ditch again and out cold if you hadn't carried me."

"I'm glad I was there," he said with a small smile. "Get some rest, Harper. I'll come by tomorrow and check on you while Jason's at work, if that's okay." I didn't know what to say, but the hopeful look on his face made the words fly from my mouth before I fully thought them through.

"Sure, maybe I could fix you some lunch; you know, as a real thank you," I said and his brilliant smile made an appearance again.

"Sounds good," he said and I smiled softly at him.

"Do you . . . want anything particular?" I asked and he shook his head negatively, the smile still on his face.

"I eat just about anything and Jason says you're a pretty good cook," he said. "Whatever you come up with, I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy it."

"I'll see you tomorrow then," I said.

"Tomorrow," he said and I quickly went inside, locking the door once I had it closed behind me. My heart was racing in my chest. It was pounding so hard that it actually hurt and I raised my right hand to my chest to try and calm it.

I had no idea what had come over me to offer to make him lunch, but it was done and I wasn't able to take it back. In the short time I had known Paul I was acting very much unlike myself around him. With Paul there was a deep familiarity, like I had with Jason, but it was very different at the same time. I wanted to be near him and yet I had the imbedded need to keep my distance. I didn't understand what it was that I was feeling. I was afraid of it and I didn't want any part of it. Whatever it was that made me feel so flustered couldn't possibly be good.

I was so confused and my confusion was only fueled by my still sleep deprived brain. I knew when the fog cleared; I could think again and maybe figure out just what it was about Paul that had me in all sorts of knots. I sighed quietly as I lowered my hand and took off my shoes, leaving them by the door. I walked through the living room and took my cell phone out of my jacket before I took my jacket off. I went into my bedroom and closed my bedroom door.

I sat my phone on my nightstand, put my jacket in the closet, and tugged off my jeans and my socks. I slipped on my pajama shorts and threw my hair up into a ponytail before I crawled into my bed that was still unmade. I wrapped my arms around my pillow after I pulled the blankets up around me and sighed as my body relaxed into a deep sleep.

_

* * *

_

I sat on the pebble laden sand of a beach, looking out at the water in front of me, with my knees drawn up and my arms wrapped around my legs that were bare thanks to my jean shorts. It was slightly chilly so close to the water, but the sun was shining and warm against my skin so I didn't feel the chill of the air. Someone was suddenly settled on the sand behind me, but I didn't turn around to see who it was. It was like my body already knew who it was without needing my eyes to confirm it. I knew it was a man, but I wasn't afraid.

_His long jean clad legs and work boot covered feet stretched out on either side me and I smiled softly when a heated hand slid across my stomach. I was gently pulled back and pressed against a warm chest. I sighed contentedly and leaned back as I unwrapped my arms from around my legs, stretched out my legs, and then covered the large hand on my stomach with both of my own._

"_You're late," I said as I tilted my head back against his shoulder and the man behind me chuckled._

"_Sorry, I couldn't exactly tell your brother _why_ I had to leave," he said. His voice was slightly distorted, so, I didn't even know who he was through his voice. "When are we going to tell him about us?"_

"_I was thinking never," I said with as much seriousness I could muster in my voice and his deep laugh rumbled in his chest and in turn vibrated through my body._

"_We're going to have to tell him sometime," he said before he kissed the side of my head and tightened his hold on me._

"_I know," I said softly as I closed my eyes, "but right now I don't want to. We'll tell him before too long though."_

"_All right," he said and I opened my eyes. The sun was setting over the water and the sky was a mix of blues, pinks, purples, and gold. There were thin high clouds that reflected the setting sun much like the water and the golden sun seemed large as it drew closer to the horizon of water._

"_The sunset's beautiful isn't it?" I asked._

"_It is, but it's not as beautiful as you," he said and I scoffed and rolled my eyes before I turned my head to look up at him only to close my eyes when his lips descended upon mine. My mind was reeling from the feel of his lips against mine, but the way my body reacted to it . . . it was rather obvious that it wasn't the first time I had been kissed by him. His lips were soft and yielding against my own; and my body tingled from my lips all the way down to my toes. I couldn't get enough._

"_One of these days you're going to believe me," he whispered against my lips and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't open my eyes to see his face. "All you have to do is smile and it's like the sun is shining. You're just . . . perfect." His lips captured mine again and I melted against him, moaning quietly against his lips as I did so._

_He was torn away from me though when the earth started shaking and as suddenly as he was there, he was gone. My eyes shot open and the trees behind me broke apart and fell to the shaking ground. I grabbed handfuls of sand as I looked around me but everything was crumbling. Soon, the ground fell away from me and I started falling into a black abyss only to scream in fear._

* * *

I woke with a sharp gasp as I sat up and I heard shuffling next to my bed. I looked up and to the right only to see Jason standing there with his hands held up as he looked at me with an unsure smile on his face. "I didn't mean to scare you but you were out cold," he said and I sighed heavily as I ran my hands over the top of my head and looked up at Jason. "I said your name five times and you didn't even budge. Sorry for shaking you."

"It's fine," I said as I tried to tame my hair. I could feel that it was wild about my head, and I doubted that I was helping it any. "What time is it?" I brought my hands to my face and rubbed the sleep from my eyes before I looked back up at Jason.

"Nearly six," he said and I frowned. I hadn't looked at the clock before I had crawled into bed, but I figured that it had to have been around noon when I had laid down. I'd slept the afternoon away and even though I was still a little tired I felt much better.

"Sorry, I didn't start dinner," I said when I remembered and I tossed the covers away before I stood.

"Don't worry about it, Harper," he said with a smile. "We'll just throw in a frozen pizza or something." I sighed heavily, scratched my head, and tugged at my t-shirt which made him laugh and shake his head. "I'm going to go and wash up and we can figure out what to have for dinner." He started to turn away to go out the door, but stopped and smirked. "You might want to run a brush through that hair of yours." He winked at me and left the room. I laughed and shook my head before I brought my hands to my hair. A brush was definitely needed.

I walked over to my dresser and pulled the hanging on for dear life hair tie from my hair before I looked at my reflection and laughed quietly at the rat's nest my hair had become. I picked up my brush and started to try and get it through my hair before succeeded after several maneuvers and sharp tugs. As I looked at my reflection and brushed my hair, I remembered my dream. It had felt so real; so real that I could feel the mystery man's lips upon mine and his hands gently holding me.

I had never thought about ever having any sort of romantic relationship. Unlike most girls my age, I wasn't a fan of romance and love in movies and books. I always thought it was pointless for me to dream of any guy ever looking at me the way the guys looked at the girls in the movies or how the hero practically worshiped the heroine in books. I was a mess, literally, and there was no guy in his right mind that would ever be willing to take me and my baggage on. For yet another unknown reason, Paul suddenly came to mind.

I laughed at my reflection as I secured my now neat hair into a high ponytail and lowered my hands. I was definitely crazy if I thought that Paul would have any sort of romantic interest in me. Granted he seemed to be genuinely concerned about me, but he was friends with Jason. He probably just didn't want to see me hurt because I was his friend's little sister. I still didn't know what it was about Paul that had me so out of my element, but whatever it was I hoped it would fade once I got used to hanging out with more people than just Jason.

* * *

"Come on! You're hogging it all," I cried as I tried to get my spoon into the pint container of ice cream Jason and I were sharing. Jason laughed as he raised it away from me and laughed. "Jason!" I said with a laugh of my own and he smiled as he lowered the pint so I could get a spoonful of the chocolate fudge ice cream. "Thank you," I said as I took a large spoonful and slowly ate it. I looked at Jason to see him still smiling at me. "What?" I asked before I ate the rest of my scoop of ice cream.

"Do you know how long it's been since I heard you laugh like that?" he asked and I shrugged before I took another scoop of ice cream from the container.

"A while," I said and he smiled at me.

"It's strange but nice to hear at the same time. I forgot what a great laugh you have," he said and I blushed a bit as I smiled. "Did you do anything before you laid down?"

"I went for a walk this morning," I said and he raised an eyebrow. I decided then to leave the part about Paul out of the sum of my day. "Then I came home and took a nap. I didn't have any nightmares and I'm feeling good for once."

"I'm glad," Jason said. "I really think that this place just might be bringing back the old Harper, and it's about time she comes back. I've missed her." I smiled at him and he dug his spoon into the ice cream and took a bite. I missed the old Harper too, but she was only sticking her foot out from behind the cracked door. She wasn't ready to make her presence known just yet. However, maybe moving to nowhere Forks was really a good thing and just maybe Jason knew what he was doing when he said a change was what I really needed to move on.

* * *

The next day I didn't wake up until almost nine, and my sleep had been completely dreamless. It was too late to call Dr. Hamilton since she was with her patients, so, I was going to have to wait to call her and talk to her about the events that had taken place over the last couple of days. I had showered, dressed for the day, and had a light breakfast before I settled on the sofa to watch boring daytime television since I really didn't have anything better to do until Paul arrived. I didn't know what time he would be coming, but I had a feeling it would be sooner than later.

The midday news was just about to start when a swift knock sounded at the door and I laughed quietly since I knew it was Paul. I turned off the television and stood from the sofa before I made my way to the door. I unlocked it and opened it only to smile up at Paul, who was dressed in a dark green t-shirt and a pair of loose jeans. His smile was bright and of all things, he was holding small bouquet of flowers in his right hand. I looked at the flowers curiously and he chuckled nervously.

"I thought I'd bring you a little something," he said as he brought his left hand to the back of his neck and held out the flowers to me.

"Thanks," I said as I took the flowers from him and opened the door further for him to come inside. I led him to the kitchen after I closed the door and I went in search of a vase.

"You look better today," he said and I turned my head as I brought a small clear vase out from the bottom cupboard. He was sitting at the dining table and I nodded as I smiled at him again.

"I slept pretty much the whole afternoon yesterday and then I got plenty of sleep last night," I said as I put the flowers down on the counter and filled the vase with water.

"Good," he said softly and once I had the flowers settled in the vase I turned to look at him, only to find him staring at me again. I cleared my throat and turned to the fridge.

"Would you like something to drink?" I asked as I hid myself behind the door and looked through the items on the shelf of the fridge as I tried to think of something to fix for lunch.

"No thanks, I'm fine for now," he said. I pulled out the container of deli meat. Instead of frozen pizza for dinner the night before, Jason and I had made hoagies after he had run to the store for the ingredients. We still had plenty of lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes, cheese, and everything else; so, hoagies it was.

"Are hoagies okay?" I asked as I started to gather everything.

"Yeah, perfect," he said and I quickly set to getting everything out of the fridge. Once everything was settled on the counter, I reached for the bread only to jump when Paul's voice came from directly behind me. "Do you need some help?" he asked and I quickly turned around to look up at him. "Sorry," he said as he took half a step back and I nodded nervously before I tucked a few strands of hair that had escaped my hair clip behind my ears. He had already seen my scar, so, there wasn't any point in hiding it from him.

"If you want you can get the chips out of the pantry," I said as I gestured towards the closed door that was next to the open door that led to the mudroom. He smiled at me and nodded before he walked over to the pantry and opened the door. I let out a heavy breath before I returned to making the sandwiches after I had grabbed two plates from the cupboard. "Do you prefer mustard or mayo?" I asked.

"Both," Paul said and I nodded as I put both condiments on his sandwich.

"Turkey or ham?" I asked and he chuckled as he put the chips on the counter next to me.

"Both if that's okay," he said and I smiled as I nodded but didn't look at him.

"Tomatoes and lettuce?" I asked.

"Yes please," he said through yet another chuckle.

"So, basically everything," I teased and his chuckle turned into a full laugh.

"Yeah," he said and my smile grew as I finally looked up at him over my right shoulder. He was smiling down at me and my stomach flipped and my heart sputtered, making me gasp quietly before I quickly looked away from him. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked gently as he put a hand on my upper back. I stiffened when my heart rate increased, and Paul was quick to lower his hand.

"Nothing," I said softly with a small frown. I didn't like the feelings that coursed through me, but at the same time I didn't want them to go away.

"Are you sure?" he asked and I nodded as I finished fixing his sandwich and cut it in half before I put it on the plate and grabbed the chips on the counter without looking at him. I heard him sigh before I felt his body heat leave my side and as I put some chips on a plate for him I heard him pull out the dining room chair and sit back down. I picked up his plate and carried it over to the table. He looked up at me with a frustrated scowl on his face.

"I didn't mean to bring down the mood," I said. "I'm sorry." He sighed as he shook his head and I put the plate down in front of him.

"Don't be," he said. "I'm still trying to figure you out."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"You're very confusing," he said and I wanted to laugh, but I didn't. I just shrugged and went back to the counter so I could make my own sandwich. At least I wasn't the only one confused by what was going on between the two of us.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everyone! Thank you all very much for your reviews and adds. Sorry I didn't get to respond to you guys directly, but the last week of work has been absolutely insane. I hope you like this chapter, and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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* * *

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Chapter 6

Paul had left around four, leaving me to my thoughts until Jason got home. We'd gotten to know each other a little better and I learned that he rented a small house not far from Sam and Emily's place and that his parents were still together and that he was an only child. I didn't tell him much about me outside of my favorite kinds of music, color, and food.

He didn't ask me many probing questions, but I could tell that he had wanted to and during the conversation he had gotten frustrated more than once and excused himself to calm down. I was still confused by the whole thing and as I laid on the couch and looked up at the ceiling I couldn't wait anymore. I sighed as I sat up and grabbed the cordless phone from the coffee table and dialed Dr. Hamilton's office number as I walked into my bedroom.

"Good afternoon, Health and Wellness Center, how can I help you?" came Penelope's voice and I took a deep breath.

"Hi, Penelope, it's Harper Cavanagh. Is Dr. Hamilton available or is she with a patient?" I asked.

"She just finished her last appointment," Penelope said. "If you wouldn't mind holding, I can put you through."

"Thanks Penelope," I said before the hold music came on. I started pacing in my bedroom as I chewed on my left thumbnail out of nerves. I didn't know if Dr. Hamilton would be able to help me deceiver what it was I was feeling, but I had hope she would.

"Harper, how are things?" Dr. Hamilton asked and I smiled at her voice as I lowered my thumb from my mouth.

"They've been better," I said. "I've got a serious problem." I flopped down on my bed and laid back against my pillows as I looked up at the ceiling.

"Oh?" she asked and I sighed quietly.

"I don't know what's going on with me," I said. "You remember that guy I told you about, the guy that stared at me on Friday night?"

"I do, yes," she said.

"Well, the day before yesterday he was over and he noticed my scar," I said. "I don't know why but it caught him by surprise, and he grabbed me. Of course I freaked and I told him to leave. When he did I just sat down on the floor and broke down. Next thing I know Jason is waking me up from . . . from a nightmare."

"Oh, dear, they're back?" she asked softly, the worry clear in her tone.

"Not exactly," I said before I explained everything that had happened between Paul and me from the moment I ran into him on the side of the road all the way until he left my house that afternoon. "I'm comfortable with Jason now. So much so that it's almost like _before. _But, I just don't understand what's going on with _him_." Dr. Hamilton's light chuckle at my words was definitely not what I was expecting.

"Harper, how do you feel when you're with him?" she asked.

"Confused," I said and she laughed again.

"Can you give me a little more than that?" she asked and I sighed quietly as I sat up and ran my hand over the top of my hair that I still wore back from my face.

"It's like I want to hang out with him and I want to be around him, but I don't want him to get too close at the same time. He was careful with me yesterday and today after I freaked out on him the other day, and when he did touch me or stood close to me, I don't think I was afraid."

"What do you think you were feeling?" Dr. Hamilton asked and I took a deep breath through my nose as I stood from the bed and walked over to my bedroom window. I leaned against the wall and pushed back the curtain to look outside at the thick trees that lined our backyard.

"Anxious," I said. "My stomach was in knots and my heart was racing, like when you're about to get up in front of a room full of people and give a speech or something. I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all. I felt completely out of my element."

"I think your inner turmoil has a very obvious answer, Harper," she said with a warm tone that made me instantly realize she had stepped out of doctor mode. She was no longer Dr. Hamilton during our conversation; she was Maggie, my friend.

"What's that?" I asked. "Because if it's obvious, I'm blind to it." I heard her laugh lightly again and as she did my eyes caught movement in the trees. However, when I didn't see anything more I chopped it up to branches rustling in the wind.

"You're just thinking too much, Harper," Maggie said. "You're a seventeen year old girl who has kept herself tucked away from the world for a long time. You're finally opening yourself up to new feelings and experiences, and this young man, I believe, is your first crush."

"What?" I asked as I looked away from the window and turned away from the wall before I started pacing the floor again. "That's impossible."

"Is it?" Maggie asked and I didn't answer her because I really had no answer for her. "What's this young man's name?"

"Paul," I answered as I continued to pace.

"Is he attractive?" she asked and I stopped pacing and felt my face heat with a blush. "I'm going to take your sudden silence as a 'yes'," she said with another chuckle that only made me blush more. "From what you told me about him, other than the staring, he sounds like a nice young man."

"He is," I said as I sat back down on the edge of my bed. Even though Paul seemed like a really nice guy, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was different about him.

"Since he works with Jason it might be a bit awkward, but if something develops between the two of you, don't be afraid of it. Let it happen. I know that you may not be ready for anything serious, but you need to step out of the box you've locked yourself in."

"I'll try, but you know how complicated it is," I said and she sighed gently.

"I know, Harper, but if you don't try, you'll only regret it later," she said.

"I know," I said softly. "Thanks for talking with me. I really needed an ear."

"You're welcome, Harper, and remember what I said," she said and I nodded even though she couldn't see me.

"I will," I said. "Have a nice night and tell Mr. Hamilton I said 'hi'." She laughed again and I could see the smile on her face.

"I'll do that," she said. "Bye Harper."

"Bye," I said and I ended the call before flopped back on the covers once again. She was right; I couldn't keep myself locked away for forever. However, I needed to avoid Paul as much as I could for a while, or at least until I didn't feel anxious at even the thought of seeing him again.

* * *

"Hey, Harper," Jason said as he walked into the kitchen and over to where I stood at the stove, checking the potatoes I was boiling to mash. He had called shortly after I had gotten off the phone with Dr. Hamilton and said that he was going to be late because he had a few errands to run, so, it gave me plenty of time to fix something nice for supper. He looked in the pan with a small frown before he took a deep breath through his nose. "What are you making?"

"Smothered pork chops and mashed potatoes," I said with a smile.

"Seriously?" he asked before he gently pushed me to the side and opened up the oven to see the four breaded and fried pork chops I had cooked already simmering away in the gravy I had made. The recipe was our mother's and Jason's favorite. "What brought this on?" he asked as he closed the oven and looked at me while he stood to his full height.

"We haven't had a decent meal since we went to Sam and Emily's and I thought I'd fix you something nice," I said with a shrug and turned off the potatoes before bringing the covered pot over to the sink. "Could you grab me the mixer?" I asked as I drained the potatoes the hand masher while Jason got the mixer for me. We finished fixing dinner together and once we each had a full plate and were settled at the table with our respected drinks, I waited until he had taken a bite before I spoke. "How is it?" I asked and he gave me a closed mouth smile as he chewed.

"Excellent, Harp, just like Mom's," he said once he swallowed. I smiled at his words before I dug into my own dinner. Jason was right. It had turned out perfectly, and I was very proud of myself for that. "So, what did you do today?"

"Nothing much," I said. "Paul came over to apologize for the other day." He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and I laughed lightly. "Don't worry, he kept his distance."

"I don't like the fact that he was over here with you alone," Jason said and I didn't say anything as I chewed on the bite of food I had taken. "He'll be back at work tomorrow and I am going to say something to him," Jason said. "I know you don't want me to, but he needs to know to take a step back."

"Okay," I said without argument and Jason frowned. "What? I think you're right."

"You didn't think I was right yesterday," he said and I shrugged again before I cut another piece from my pork chop.

"He's nice and everything, but I need to get my head figured out before I try and make any kind of friends. And as much as I like the others too, I think it would be best that I stay home whenever you go over to Sam's or even Jared's place."

"You did great there the other night, Harp, and you've been getting better every day since," he said and I looked at him only to see the frown still in place on his face. "Plus, Sam said Emily was looking forward to having you over again, and when Kim had stopped by today to bring Jared his lunch she asked how you were doing."

"I'm confused, Jason. I don't understand what's going on in my brain," I said as I turned my eyes to my plate and furrowed my brow. "It's all just happening too quickly.

"All right," Jason said slowly, but I didn't look at him to gage his expression. I kept my eyes on my plate and we ate the rest of our meal in complete silence until we were finished and Jason said he would do the dishes. With the excuse that I was tired, I said good night to Jason and went into my bedroom, closing the door tightly behind me.

I turned on my light and changed into my pajamas before I brushed out my hair and pulled it back into another ponytail. I crawled into bed after grabbing a book from my shelf and I settled back against my pillows to read. However, I couldn't focus on the words. They all seemed to blur together and I had read a line ten times before I gave up on reading and snapped the book close. I sat it on my nightstand and sighed quietly as I leaned my head back and looked up at the ceiling. It didn't take sleep long to claim me.

* * *

The next day I had gone about my usual routine for the day and it wasn't until a little after one that afternoon that everything changed. A hard knock sounded on the door and I instantly knew who it was that stood on the other side of the door without even looking through the peephole. I debated on whether to answer the door or not, but when he pounded on the door I relented and went to the door. I slid on the chain before I undid the three deadbolts and opened the door.

"Why did you tell Jason to tell me to stay away from you?" he demanded as he leaned his right hand on the doorframe and looked down at me. He looked very, _very_, angry and I took half a step back from the door as I held onto the doorknob tightly.

"Because I'm not ready for anything," I said weakly.

"Did I ask you for _anything_?" he asked and I shook my head negatively. "Then why are you pushing me away?"

"Because I'm not ready," I said again and a deep scowl formed on his face as his body literally started shaking.

"Ready for what?" He practically snarled the question as his dark eyes held mine and I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat.

"To let people in," I said and the anger melted from his eyes for a second as hurt filled them before the anger was quick to replace it. "Please, Paul, just go away. I don't want to see you."

"You're lying," he said and the lump was back in my throat.

"No I'm not," I said. "Don't come by here anymore."

"Don't do this, Harper," he said.

"I have to."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't understand, Paul."

"Try me," he said as the tremors slowly ebbed away.

"No," I said. "Go away." I spoke as firmly as I could, but I didn't sound very convincing even to my own ears; so, I slammed the door and locked the deadbolts before I rested my palms against the wood.

I heard a growl on the other side before I heard him stomp off the porch. Seconds later there was a pain filled wolf howl in the distance and it felt like the sound waves shook the house. I pushed myself away from the door and raised a shaking hand to my mouth before I walked to my bedroom and laid down on the bed. Another howl sounded followed by another and I closed my eyes as I wrapped my arms around my pillow.

I felt like crying as I laid there. I didn't know why, but my chest ached and the tears filled my eyes far quicker than I expected. Before I could hold them back, they were falling and I let out a quiet sob before I turned my head and scooted down on my bed so I was lying down. I pressed my face into my pillow as I cried, but I hadn't the slightest clue as to why I felt like my world was coming down around me.

* * *

For the rest of the week, the ache in my chest only grew and by Sunday I didn't even have the energy to get out of bed, however, I did. I had to keep up the house and made sure Jason had dinner on the table when he came home, but I wasn't very talkative. Jason was worried. I could tell because of the way he looked at me, but he didn't say anything. Sunday rolled into Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday, and when Thursday morning dawned I stayed in bed, buried in my blankets.

Ever since the incident with Paul, the nightmares were back and the fear that once owned me had its hold on me yet again. When my harsh screaming woke Jason for the fourth time in a row, he promised me that he would be staying home with me that day. As I laid there I could hear him talking with Sam as he stood in the hallway just outside my door.

"I'm sorry, Sam, but this is the third night in a row, the forth this week," he said. "She hasn't been like this in two years, and I don't want to leave her alone." There was a pause in the conversation as I snuggled deeper into my pillow. "I know you're already shorthanded with Paul off, but it's . . . it's complicated, Sam." He paused again and I closed my eyes before as I took a deep breath. Jason told me Paul hadn't gone back to work last week and Sam and Jared hadn't told him where he'd run off to, but he hadn't asked.

Just thinking about Paul made the ache in my chest grow and I sighed as I opened my eyes. I hadn't slept and I had barely eaten. It was like I had gone back in time and I was fourteen all over again and living in the hell my mind created for me. I knew what was next. Jason was going to call Dr. Hamilton for a referral to another psychologist or even a hospital he could take me to.

"He's the reason she's like this in the first place." Jason let out a frustrated noise before he spoke again. "He's not coming here, Sam, I don't give a shit if he'll be able to help her. He'll only make it worse."

"Jason," I called.

"Hold on," Jason said before he stuck his head into my room. "Did you need something, Harper?"

"I need to see him," I said and he frowned as he lowered the phone from his ear to his shoulder.

"What?" he asked and I sat up.

"I think I need to see him," I said and he walked further into the room. "Please, Jason, I want to see him." Jason pursed his lips before he raised the phone to his ear.

"If you can find him, bring him here," Jason said. "Harper wants to see him."


	7. Chapter 7

Hi everyone! Thank you all so very much for your reviews and adds. Sorry it took me so long to update, but my boyfriend surprised me with a weekend get away as an earliy birthday gift since he'll be out of town for my birthday. You don't learn as much about Harper as I originally planned in this chapter, but you will in the next. I'll try not to make you wait so long next time. Thanks again and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 7

"Are you sure about this, Harper?" Jason asked after he hung up the phone and sat down on the edge of my bed. He looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes, but he wasn't angry. He was just concerned, but the second he told Sam to bring Paul over the ache lessoned in my chest.

"Yes," I said with a heavy breath. "I can't explain it, Jason, but I just need to see him." Jason sighed quietly as he reached out and tucked my hair behind my ears. I hadn't showered in two days and I knew I probably smelled just as bad as I was certain I looked. "If I had time, I'd take a shower."

"You look fine for someone who hasn't slept in days," he said and I sighed quietly before I laid back against my pillows. It was Jason's turn to sigh before he stood from the bed. "I'm going to make some coffee," he said. "Do you want some juice or anything?"

"No, thank you," I said quietly as I looked at him from where I laid. He nodded and left the room. I just laid there in the silence for a little while, but it wasn't long before the sound of a heavy knock on the front door echoed throughout the quiet house. I sat up, but I didn't have the energy to do much more than that as I looked at my open bedroom door. I heard Jason's heavy footfalls on the wood floors before I heard the clicks of the locks opening and then the door opening.

"Hi Jason," a voice said. It was Sam and I frowned as I wondered if Paul was with him because I didn't hear him speak.

"She's in her room," Jason's tight voice answered an unspoken question before I heard another set of footfalls echo through the living room. When I heard the footsteps in the hall, my heart started to pound harder. His impressive frame filled the doorway. He was half-hazardly dressed in a pair of cut offs and a t-shirt that was a bit too small for his broad shoulders. He looked just as tired as I felt and his body was tense with apprehension as he looked at me. The second his eyes met mine the pain and ache in my chest was gone.

"Paul," I whispered and he was at my bedside in a second. "You can sit," I said and he sat down on the edge of the bed, practically the same place that Jason had been sitting just seconds before. His eyes never left mine with the exception of a quick scan of my face once he was sitting down. "I'm sorry for pushing you away," I said, not exactly knowing what to say to him to get the conversation started.

"It's okay," he said gently, but his voice was rough, like he hadn't used it in a long time. "I'm here now and that's all that really matters. When was the last time you slept?" he asked.

"When did you?" I asked, throwing his question back at him, and he scoffed a laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. I knew that that was a nervous habit of his, and it was an endearing habit at the same time.

"Peacefully? About a week," he said. "Sam told me that Jason said you've been having nightmares." I nodded when he paused and frowned slightly as his eyes scanned my face. "Are you okay?" I didn't answer his question right away. Instead, I raised my trembling left hand to the right side of his face. The heat of his skin was just as surprising as the first time I felt it when I had ran into him, but I kept my hand there anyway. Even when he gasped at my touch and his eyes widened, I didn't pull my hand away.

"Seeing you makes me feel infinitely better," I said, "and I don't know why." He sighed quietly as he raised his right hand to my hand that rested on the side of his face. His hand was much larger than mine and as much as his touch should have made me afraid I didn't want to pull away from him, so I didn't.

"Whatever I did to make you angry with me, I'm sorry," he said and I shook my head as I scooted closer to him. I hadn't realized how cold I was until he sat down on the bed and his seemingly natural warmth was welcoming.

"You didn't do anything," I said and he gently pulled my hand from his face but kept a secure hold upon it as he rested our hands on the bed in the small space between us. "I'm just scared."

"Of me?" he questioned, his brow furrowed and his eyes dark. His grip tightened on my hand, but it wasn't painful. It was more like a desperation grip and I griped his hand back just as tightly as he gripped mine.

"Yes and no," I answered honestly. "I'm scared of getting too close. It's hard to explain, Paul, and it's a long story."

"I've got time," he said. He looked at me expectantly and I wanted to tell him about my parents, my scars, my nightmares; I wanted to tell him about everything. I wanted to tell him everything about me, and that realization shook me to my core.

"This makes no sense at all," I whispered as I looked down at our joined hands with a small frown. His russet/copper skin was such a contrast to my pale skin, but it was a beautiful contrast and I liked how my hand fit perfectly within his. It was almost like my had was made to fit with his.

"What makes no sense?" he asked me, his voice trying to be gentle and to coax the words from me. However, I was still able to hear the very slight annoyance in his tone. I was dragging him into my bubble of confusion, and he wasn't very happy about it. Hell, I wasn't happy about it. I was hoping he could pull me out of it. Slowly, I returned my eyes to his and I took a deep breath through my nose.

"I barely know you and I want to tell you everything," I said.

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked with a small, crooked smile that made my once calm heart race once more.

"Not bad, just strange," I finally managed after several seconds of just looking into his eyes. "I'm not used to this. I'm not used to what I'm feeling every time I'm around you, and I hope you can understand that. It took me a long time to work up the courage to tell Jason what I freely want to tell you. I had to learn to trust him again, and it makes no sense that I trust you like I do when I've only known you for all of two weeks."

"Can't you accept it as a good thing and go with the flow?" he asked. "It doesn't have to be this hard. Why can't you just let yourself go and trust me like you want to?" I shook my head negatively as I tried to get my voice to work.

"I don't know," I whispered. "You can't even imagine how hard doing that is for me."

"Harper," he said heavily as he shifted his position on the bed so he was closer to me. He raised his free left hand to my face, and just like before, I didn't flinch away from him. "Talk to me."

"I can't," I breathed as tears lined my eyes. "I can't because the second I do, you won't want anything to do with me. It was easier just to push you away." He frowned as he ran his thumb along my cheek, brushing away a tear that had escaped from my flooding eyes. "Paul, I am a mental wreck; a complete and total train wreck; and you will want _nothing _to do with me when you know just how messed up I am," I said, unable and unwilling to stop the tears that flowed. He held my face with a gentleness I didn't know he possessed as his large, rough hands wiped at my tears.

"There is nothing about you that could ever make me leave you," he said. "Talk to me, Harper," he repeated, there was an urgency to his tone as he spoke and I sniffed when I felt my nose run a bit. "I want to help you, but I can't unless you talk to me.

"It's too hard," I said as my tears started to fall a little harder. He sighed but nodded his head.

"It's okay, Harper, please don't cry," he said softly before he moved even closer to me and moved his hands from my face and wrapped his arms around me.

I was no longer surprised by the comfort his touch brought and I melted into his arms as I buried my face in his neck and wrapped my own arms around him. My tears didn't last long, but I didn't pull away from him. He just held me and I held onto him as though he was my lifeline from the heavy emotions I was drowning in. My hands gripped his shirt tightly as he made small circles on my upper back and whispered calming words to me that I couldn't really understand but they comforted me all the same.

"When you're ready to talk, Harper; I'll be there," he promised. As he spoke those words, I didn't doubt them for a second. We pulled apart and I looked up at him as I wiped at my face out of embarrassment. He helped smooth out my hair and as I lowered my hands I looked at his face and the soft smile that was on his lips.

"Thanks," I said and his smile grew.

"Your hair is so curly," he said absently as he lowered his hands from my hair and his eyes met mine. I smiled at him then since I knew my hair probably looked like a rats nest because I hadn't brushed it in forever.

"It's awful I know," I said as I blushed lightly. I hated my curly hair most of the time because it always took me forever to get right so I could wear it down, but it wasn't overly curly to the point that I couldn't wear it down.

"I like it, actually," he said as he raised his hand to my hair again and carefully ran his fingers through a few of the tangles with his smile still in place.

"You do?" I asked curiously. I didn't think guys like curly hair because in all the sappy romantic comedies the heroine always had the perfect flowing straight locks that were near impossible for my hair to achieve.

"Yeah," he said as he lowered his hand. "It suits you." The tenderness in his eyes had been unexpected, but it was natural and it didn't scare me like I thought it would. The anxiousness had returned and the butterflies erupted in my stomach as we just looked at each other.

"Thanks," I said again, not really knowing what else to say.

"How about you get out of this bed, take a shower, and join your brother, Sam, and me for breakfast," he instructed more than asked and I laughed. The sound made him smile again and I felt lighter than I had in ages.

"Are you saying I smell or something?" I asked and his smile morphed into a grin.

"Believe me when I tell you that you don't. I'd be the first to tell you," he said and I tilted my head to the side as I looked at him, but he just winked at me before he stood from the bed and walked out of my room. It was hard to believe that not twenty minutes earlier I had felt like the world was coming to an end, but all I wanted to do was get in and out of the shower as quickly as possible so I could spend more time with Paul.

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After breakfast and after Jason had a private conversation with Sam and Paul; Sam and Jason left for work leaving me alone with Paul. We had taken up shop on the sofa to talk and after only about thirty minutes of chatting, I found myself nodding off to sleep. "Harper," Paul said as he put a gentle hand on my knee. I startled away and looked at him to find him smiling at me.

"Sorry," I said softly as I rubbed at my eyes and he took his hand off my knee and shook his head.

"It's okay," he said. "I should go so you can get some sleep, and I should go home and get some sleep too."

"Don't go, please," I said as I moved closer to him on the sofa. I gave up on trying to figure out what was going on with me when it came to Paul. I wasn't going to push him away anymore because it had been far too painful.

"I should go, but since you asked," he said with a smile before he moved his arm to the back of the sofa and without a word I closed the distance between us and literally snuggled into his side. He lowered his arm from the sofa and wrapped it around me, holding me to him as my head rested on his shoulder. The TV was on some mindless soap opera, but neither one of us was really paying attention to it because both of us drifted off to sleep.

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"I never thought that anything like this would happen," I heard a familiar voice whisper as I slowly woke from the deep and dreamless sleep I had succumbed to with Paul that morning.

"Why?" another voice asked, but the smile was obvious in the tone.

"Three years ago . . . something terrible happened to her. She didn't go to school for two years, I had to hire a tutor for her and when she started school last year, she was barely making it through a day at school without having a panic attack. We moved so she could try and get over the past, but I didn't think it would happen this fast," the first voice said. It was obviously Jason, but the second voice wasn't Sam.

"Well, obviously she's gotten over it," the second voice said and I realized it was Jared.

"Not completely," a deep rumbling voice came from right above my head and my pillow, that happened to be Paul's chest, vibrated as he spoke.

"Shh, Paul, you're going to wake her," Jared chided and I slowly opened my eyes as I slid my head against Paul's chest and looked up at Jason and Jared with a small smile.

"I'm already awake," I said and Jared smiled at me while Jason looked at me with concern etched across his face. "I'm fine, Jason," I assured him and his concern morphed to confusion. I sat up and wiped at the sweat on the side of my face after hours of lying against Paul. I looked at the young man in question and he gave me a small smile.

"Did you sleep okay?" he asked and I nodded.

"You?" I asked and his smile grew.

"Never better," he said and Jason cleared his throat while Jared chuckled. Paul and I looked at Jason who put his hands on his hips.

"I think you should head home, Paul," Jason said. "Jared followed me so he could give you a ride home." I sighed quietly and looked at Paul just in time to see him nod his head at Jason before he looked back at me.

"I'll come by tomorrow," he said and I nodded. "Thank you for asking for me. You don't know how happy it made me when Sam told me you wanted to see me."

"Thanks for coming," I said and he smiled before he tucked my hair behind my ears and stood from the sofa. Jared winked at me before he smacked Paul on the shoulder and squeezed it before the two of them left the house. I bit my lip to hold back my smile as I watched the door close behind them and Jason cleared his throat again. I looked up at him and released my lower lip from my teeth when I saw the frown on his face.

"What the hell happened today?" he asked as he sat down on the coffee table in front of me with his elbows on his knees.

"We fell asleep after you left," I said with a shrug. "Nothing else happened."

"That's not what I'm talking about," he said and it was my turn to frown. "Harper, I was this close to calling Dr. Hamilton," he said as he raised his right hand and gestured a very small amount with his index finger and thumb. "You were just like you were before you had that breakdown when I had to check you into the hospital. How in the hell did you go from that to this?" he asked as he lowered his hand and looked at me like I had grown another head.

"I don't know," I said as I shook my head, "but is it a bad thing?"

"No," he said, "but it's . . . odd."

"Tell me about," I said dryly and Jason chuckled even though there was no mirth in his tone.

"I think you should call Dr. Hamilton tomorrow," he said. "See if she can give you a referral. I want you start therapy again."

"Why?" I asked and he stood from his seat and I looked up at him.

"Just do it, okay? I don't want you like that ever again," he said before he leaned down and kissed my forehead. When he pulled back and looked down at me, he rubbed at his eyes. "I'm going to fix dinner, anything you want?" he asked as he lowered his hand from his eyes and looked at me. His eyes were red rimmed and he looked like he was ready to cry.

"No," I said softly and he gave me a tight lipped smile before he nodded and walked out of the living room and into the kitchen. I sighed quietly as I rubbed the sleep from my face and laid my head back against the sofa. Life was so freaking complicated.


	8. Chapter 8

I'm alive and well, I promise. Sorry it took so long to update. It's one in the morning and I'm posting now because I feel terrible for making you all wait so long. However, I do think this nice long chapter will make you all happy and hopefully it's been worth the wait. Thank you all so very much for your reviews and adds. I love to know what you guys think, so please let me know. Anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 8

The following afternoon found me sitting in the backyard, lying on a big blanket, with Paul lounging beside me. The sky was surprisingly clear for once and the sun was warm against my skin as we just laid there together. I had called Dr. Hamilton that morning because I knew if hadn't, Jason would have and I didn't want him to. She told me she'd make a few calls and let me know what she came up with. I didn't want to go back to therapy, but I would humor Jason for a little while.

"What are you thinking?" Paul asked and I turned my head to the left and opened my eyes to look at him. Now that the sun was truly shining on his skin it really did seem to glow gold in the sunlight; just like it did the day he first came to visit me. He was just so perfect and I hadn't the slightest clue what it was about me that drew him to me.

"I'm thinking about how I don't want to start going to therapy again," I said. I answered his question honestly and without any form of hesitation. I no longer had the will to fight the desire to be honest with him and to trust him, but I wasn't quite ready to tell him everything yet. I wanted to believe him when he said he wouldn't leave, but I couldn't quite trust that it would hold true once he knew everything about me.

"If you don't want to go, you shouldn't have to," he said as he turned on his side and propped himself up on his right elbow. He looked down at me with a small smile. "You're doing fine. You said yourself that you didn't have any nightmares last night and I know you didn't while we slept yesterday afternoon. Why go?"

"Because Jason thinks its best," I said as I too shifted to my side, only I remained flat to the ground and rested my head in my bent left arm. "He's a little freaked out that I did a one-eighty yesterday and I can't say that I blame him. It freaked me out a little bit too, but I've decided to not let it bother me. I've accepted that you've got some magical power that makes me feel like I do." There was a smile on my face as I spoke and looked up at him. After a half a beat, he chuckled.

"I don't have any sort of magical powers," he said with a smile that led me to believe he was hiding something, but I pushed away the stupid suspicion because there was no such thing as magic. "I think I just . . . make you feel comfortable."

"Which was why I had a hard time wrapping my head around it," I said before I rolled on my stomach and brought my arms underneath me so I wasn't looking directly at Paul anymore but my upper body was propped up on both of my bent arms. "You know the first night we met, when Jason and I went to Sam and Emily's for dinner," I prompted, knowing he probably hadn't forgotten the night since it was two weeks earlier that very day.

"I don't think I'll ever forget it." He had spoke so softly that I don't think I was meant to hear it, but the air around us was so quiet I did; however, I played it off like I didn't and continued to speak.

"That night was when everything started to change," I said.

"What do you mean?" he asked sounding genuinely curious, but I wasn't looking at him. I was looking at the grass that rested at the edge of the dark brown blanket I had pulled from the linen closet.

"Two weeks ago, if anyone would have even just brushed against me, I would have had a panic attack," I said, my eyes still focused on the grass and I could feel Paul's eyes on me. "I would still flinch and tense even when Jason touched me. When I started going to public school again everyone, including the teachers, barely breathed a word to me and it was hell trying to walk down the halls without bumping into someone. That's why I screamed at you and pushed you away when you grabbed me after you noticed my scar. I panicked. I thought that you . . .," I trailed off; stopping myself before I said too much, and I closed my eyes.

"Harper look at me," he said and after taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes and slowly turned my head to look at him. His dark eyes were intense as my eyes met his and I couldn't look away from him even if I wanted to. He let out a heavy breath before he moved closer to me and my body was warmed by not only the sun but by his heat as well. "Does it still frighten you when I touch you?" he asked softly and as my heart rate increased, I shook my head negatively.

"No," I whispered. He reached out with his left hand and pushed my hair from my face so he could see my face clearly and I could see his. His hand remained laced in my hair and rested on my upper back.

"I would _never _hurt you, Harper. I would rather die than ever do anything to hurt you," he said deeply. "You believe that, don't you?" There was no room for doubt thanks to the conviction in those words, and the fire in his eyes as he spoke them. I believed him with no question in my mind whatsoever.

"I believe you, Paul," I said and as we looked at each other, he leaned in close and pressed his forehead against mine.

"Good," he said as my breath hitched at the intimate gesture, but I didn't pull away from him. Suddenly, he raised his head from mine but he didn't move it far. I watched with wide eyes as he leaned down and brushed his lips against my right cheek. Butterflies erupted in my stomach and my face flamed red as he pulled his head back and looked into my eyes. "Tomorrow, will you go to the reservation with me?" he asked.

"Why?" I asked softly and he played with my hair that was still in his hands.

"Because I want to show you something," he said. His dark eyes were filled with hope and before I could even think about his question, my answer was out of my mouth.

"Okay," I said with a small smile. He smiled at me then, giving me his beautiful teeth bearing, face lighting smile that only made the butterflies flutter faster and my face to heat even more.

It was at that moment that I realized Dr. Hamilton had been right. I liked Paul. I liked him a whole lot and with my new found feelings, I knew I would have to tell him more about myself eventually. It wasn't exactly going to be a walk in the park when it came to explaining my past to him. I had no idea how to tell him in the first place. I couldn't just blurt out that I was raped and left for dead by the man who killed my parents after hours of torture. I had no idea what I was going to do when he finally knew and ran screaming all the way back to the reservation away from the mentally unstable girl with more baggage than Mariah Carey on tour.

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After a quiet dinner and an hour of mindless television watching, Jason left to hang out with a few new people he met while picking up some parts at the hardware store in town. It had taken me nearly thirty minutes to convince him to go and have a nice time, and he eventually caved saying that he would check in with me every half an hour. I was sitting on the sofa watching some primetime drama, thinking about what it was that Paul was going to show me tomorrow, when Jason called the house line.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey Harp, how are things?" came Jason's voice from the other end of the line and I could hear music faintly playing in the background and people talking.

"Everything is perfectly fine, Jason," I said. "You don't have to call every thirty minutes. Just enjoy the night, okay? If anything happens, I'll call you."

"Are you sure?" he asked and I rolled my eyes as I stood from the sofa and went into the kitchen. That chocolate mint ice cream Jason had brought home from the store earlier was calling my name.

"Yes, I'm sure," I said. "For once, act like the twenty-four year old you are and forget you have an annoying basket case of a younger sister for a couple of hours." I heard his chuckle at my words and I could just see him rolling his eyes. It was a bad habit we seemed to share when we got on each other's nerves.

"All right, all right," he said. "I shouldn't be home too late."

"Go wild Jason! Stay out past ten!" I said dramatically as I smiled and pulled a bowl out of the cupboard. "I hear that's when all the fun stuff happens." He laughed again, a deep rumbling laugh that I hadn't heard in ages, which made me smile again.

"What's gotten into you tonight?" he asked while I moved to the fridge and opened the freezer.

"I don't know," I said as I pulled the tub of ice cream from the freezer. "I'm just . . . happy." The word felt foreign to actually say as I put the ice cream on the counter next to my waiting bowl. "I had a nice day today, plus the sun is still out." That was one thing I loved about summer. The sun didn't set until late, and since it was just past eight the sun would still be shining for at least another hour.

"You called-," he started and I interrupted.

"I called Dr. Hamilton this morning," I said. When he hadn't asked me about calling her when he got home from work, I hoped that he had forgotten about it. Obviously, I wasn't that lucky. "She's going to call me on Monday or Tuesday with a few names."

"Good," he said.

"Well, have fun and don't worry about coming home early," I said. "I'll be fine."

"Okay," he breathed. "If you're in bed before I get home, I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Jason," I said.

"`Night Harp," he said and I hung up the phone. I sighed quietly as I put the phone down on the counter and grabbed the ice cream scoop from the drawer. My good mood was dampened a little bit thanks to Jason's mentioning of Dr. Hamilton, but I wasn't going to let it drag me down.

I dished myself some ice cream and put the carton back in the freezer before I sat the scoop in the sink and grabbed myself a spoon and my bowl. I walked out of the kitchen as I took a bite of my ice cream and was halfway to the sofa when the phone rang again. I rolled my eyes and turned around to get the phone from the kitchen. I put my spoon in my bowl before I grabbed the phone from the counter and raised it to my ear.

"Seriously, Jason, we just hung up," I said but there was only silence on the other end for a second. "Hello?" I asked with a frown.

"Hi, Harper, it's Emily," came the soft and slightly confused voice of Emily Uley. I blushed crimson and made a face as I turned around and headed back into the living room.

"Oh, hi Emily," I said. "Sorry, I thought you were Jason. He's gone out tonight, but his mother hen tendencies were getting the better of him." Emily laughed at that and I didn't feel as embarrassed as I did before.

"Don't worry about it," she said. I was curious to know why she called, but it wasn't in me to ask. "Sam told me you're doing better. I was glad to hear it." I sat down on the sofa and propped my bare feet up on the coffee table before I sat my bowl on my lap.

"Yeah, I was going through a bit of a rough patch," I said before I took another bite of my ice cream and looked up at the television. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Emily said with a soft sigh. "I'm very ready to have the baby so I can actually sleep and not go to the bathroom every five minutes." I chuckled at that and took a small bite of my ice cream before I spoke again.

"Do you know what you're having?" I asked and she laughed lightly. For some reason I could picture her rubbing her hand on her stomach as she smiled down at it. I don't know why, but the image made me smile.

"Sam and I are waiting," she said.

"Really? What made you guys decide to wait to find out?"

"We want to be surprised," she said. "We've got names for a girl and a boy picked out, so, there won't be any scrambling." I laughed and the conversation continued from there. I found it terribly easy to talk to Emily, much like I found it easy to talk to Kim that night we had dinner at his place. We had been talking for almost a half an hour when Emily and I realized it. "Listen to me, going on for forever and not even talking to you about why I called."

"It's okay," I said with a laugh as I stood from the sofa to take my empty bowl into the kitchen.

"The reason I called was because I wanted to invite you to our house on Sunday," Emily said. "It's Sam's birthday and we're having a get together with everyone. We mentioned it to Jason earlier in the week, but he didn't think you guys would be able to come. However, since you're doing better I'd thought I call and give you the invite myself."

"Thanks, Emily," I said as I put my bowl in the sink. "I'd like that." That was another thing that was new. I actually wanted to leave the house and since I knew that Paul was going to be at the party, I wanted to go even more. "I'll talk to Jason in the morning."

"Great," she said happily. "I'll let you go then and give me a call tomorrow. Jason has our house number."

"Okay, I will."

"Bye Harper," she said.

"Bye Emily," I said back with a smile before we ended the call. I put the phone down on the charger before I rinsed out my bowl and left it in the sink.

I walked into the living room and turned off the television. I had decided to call it a night since spending the day outside with Paul had seemed to drain away my energy. Who knew that the laying out in the sun could make a person so tired? However, the more I thought about it I figured the reason I was so tired was _because _I spent the day with Paul. I'd been anxious and then relaxed, anxious and then relaxed all day and it had taken its toll on my body. I wasn't used to it at all, but I certainly wasn't going to complain.

After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I changed into my pajamas and threw my hair up into a messy bun. I'd forgotten to turn the light off in the living room, so, I went back out into the living room to turn off the light when there was a stiff knock at the door. I frowned and left the light on before I walked over to the door and turned on the porch light to see who it was. My frown only deepened when I saw who was standing on the other side of the door. Despite my confusion, I made quick work of the locks and opened the door.

"Paul, what are you doing here?" I asked as I looked up at him. He was shirtless again and only wearing his cut offs yet again, but what confused me even more was I didn't see a car anywhere. How did he get all the way to my house from the reservation if he didn't drive?

"I forgot something earlier today," he said, his eyes intense as he looked down at me. I blushed when I remembered I was dressed only in a black tank top and my red and black plaid pajama shorts. His chest was rising and falling quickly as he breathed heavily, but he didn't look angry. I couldn't read the expression on his face. It was like he was fighting a mental battle with himself, but the longer he looked at me the more it looked like he was coming to a decision.

"Oh? I didn't notice anything," I said as I pushed away my embarrassment. "What did you forget?"

"This," he said deeply before he closed the distance between us, tilted my chin up, and pressed his lips to mine. It all happened so quickly that it took me a second to realize what was happening and to my surprise I found myself easily responding to the gentle pressure of his lips against mine. His left hand gently held my upper waist while his right hand rested on my neck while our lips moved together. My hands found their way to the heated skin of his chest and rested there while his body practically consumed me as he leaned over me and kissed me. I was suddenly thankful that I wasn't terribly short because it would have made the kiss more awkward.

Never in the last three years of my life did I ever imagine that I wouldn't panic the moment a boy tried to make a move on me and kiss me just as Paul was that very second, but I wasn't panicking. In fact, I felt like I was floating and it was easy to see what all the fuss was about. Paul was my first true kiss and the memory of the first time a man's lips were on mine was slowly disappearing. If that was really how it felt to kiss someone you cared about, I never wanted to stop. He pulled back after several amazing seconds but he didn't step away from me. His hands remained on my body while mine remained on his chest as I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at him.

"You're perfect," he breathed against my lips before he kissed me again, chastely and very briefly. "I don't want to just be your friend, but I know you'll need some time and I'll wait," he said, speaking so softly that if I hadn't seen his lips moving, I wouldn't have thought it was him talking.

"Why did you kiss me?" I found myself asking. It was a very stupid question considering what he just confessed, but I couldn't help asking.

"So you know where I stand," he said, his voice deeper and rough as he ran his thumb along my jaw, "but it won't happen again until you're ready. You have to be the one to make the first move." I smiled as I looked up at him, and he smiled back. All the tension that had been in his body when I opened the door was gone, and he almost looked like a completely different man. His face was bright and his eyes were dancing. I had a feeling the same light was reflected in my eyes as I looked at him.

"I'll be here at ten, wear shoes you can walk in," he said. I nodded and his hands slipped from my body. I instantly missed his crazy warmth around me as he stepped back out onto the porch. "Get some sleep," he said softly and I nodded again. My voice no longer seemed to want to work, which made him smirk. "Good night."

"Good night," I finally managed in a small whisper before I watched him turn away from the door. It was then that I slowly closed the door and locked it. I laughed lightly as I pressed my back against the door and raised a slightly trembling hand to my lips as I stared off into space. I could still feel his heated lips against mine and my skin still tingled from his touch.

If anyone would have told me that four weeks after moving to what had to be one of the smallest towns imaginable that I would slowly find my life changing for the better, I would have called them insane. I had no idea what road I found myself on, but there was no going back for me. I no longer expected my life to be dull and meaningless. I saw a future full of joy and, dare I even think it, love. The tears that came to my eyes were unexpected, but they were not the tears of pain or fear. For the second time in two weeks, they were tears of pure and unimaginable happiness.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, mine was pretty good. Thank you all very much for your reviews and ads. I think I'm very blessed to have such great readers and everytime I open my inbox and find a flury of reviews it makes my day. I've tried something new in this chapter, but it won't be a regular thing. The first part is written in the third person for another prospective. If you all like it, I'm might give it another shot in a future chapter. Thanks for reading and I'll do my best to update again soon. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the Twilight series.

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Chapter 9

_Third Person POV_

"_I can't believe you just did that,"_ Jared said through the mental bond he shared with Paul after the second man transformed back into his wolf form and raced back to the reservation.

"_I don't know what you're talking about," _Paul said back as he ran. He was doing his best to keep his thoughts about the previous ten minutes hidden, but failed miserably. Even in his wolf form he could feel her cool hands on his chest and her soft lips against his. Hell, he could even still smell her soft floral scent all round him.

"_You're terrible at hiding your thoughts, Paul," _Jared said dryly before he mentally chuckled. _"Obviously, Harper's sleeping attire was to your liking."_

"_Shut up," _Paul snapped, growing agitated with Jared. His good mood was slipping away as he drew closer to his home.

"_So, Paul, you imprinted,"_ came Quil's voice and Paul cringed when he heard the slightly younger man's voice. He'd forgotten that it was Jared's night to patrol along with Embry and Quil from Jacob's pack. Even though it had been quiet in the La Push/Forks area for a long while now they still patrolled just to make sure. _"Nice."_

"_Yeah; she's pretty, man, congrats,"_ came Embry's voice and Paul huffed in relief once he reached his house and slowed to a trot.

"_Whatever,"_ Paul said in response. _"I'll see you all on Sunday."_ His words caused his friends' mental laughter to flood his head because his thoughts about the following day with Harper came to mind. However, Jared wasn't laughing.

"_Guys, phase out for a minute," _Jared said quickly and the two of them did so without asking anything. The tone in Jared's voice was enough to know that what was about to be said was private. Jared was much better at hiding his thoughts than Paul. "_Be careful, Paul," _Jared said quietly. _"Remember what Jason told Sam."_

"_I know,"_ Paul said before he quickly phased back into human form and untied his jean cut offs from around his left leg. He tugged on the pants before he broke the tree line and walked to his house. His home was basically a glorified shack with electricity, running water, and a furnace that didn't want to always work, but the furnace working didn't matter to him. Since his 'change' as he called it, he didn't get cold easily.

Once he was inside, he turned on a light and flopped down on the tattered sofa before he ran his right hand through his hair and then down his face. He knew he had to be careful with Harper because Jason had told Sam that Harper had been through a lot, but he couldn't help himself that night. After he had left her house all he thought about was her. He couldn't stop thinking about her and when he couldn't take it anymore, he had found himself sprinting to her house. He had been thankful to see that Jason's truck was gone and that he wasn't home. He knew that Jason wouldn't have let him see her that night since Jason was still upset with him and he had already spent the day with her.

He had debated the entire run to her house about what he was going to do when he got there, but when he saw her standing there wide eyed and confused as to why he was there and in those short shorts of hers that showed off her long legs he knew what he had to do. What he _wanted _to do more than anything else in the world. His entire body felt like it was on fire the second his lips touched hers and he never wanted to stop, but he had to. That kiss was going to have to tide him over until Harper was ready, and he would wait. She was worth it. He didn't know what had happened to her, but he would make damn sure nothing ever happened to her again.

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_Harper POV_

I had heard Jason come home around two in the morning, but that was only because he had bumped into the small table that rested in the living room near the entrance to the hallway that led to our bedrooms and the bathroom. The picture frames had fallen with a loud clatter and Jason's loud curse wasn't helping him be any quieter. I had let him think he didn't wake me because I remained tucked in bed and I had drifted off back to sleep shortly after I heard him go into the bathroom.

I didn't have any dreams again that night and I had slept better than I had in ages. I woke up at eight that morning, showered, and fixed my hair so that I could wear it down without it frizzing and so that it fell around my shoulders in gentle curls. Paul seemed to like it down, so, that's how I planned on wearing it. However, I did have a hair tie settled around my wrist just in case. I had checked the weather on the early morning news and they said that the sun would be out in the morning before the clouds moved back in, which meant that I would be bringing a zip up hoodie with me.

While I dressed in my dark jeans and three-quarter length dark green shirt my nerves were on high. During the course of readying myself for the day, I realized that I just wasn't going to be hanging out with him like I did yesterday. Today could easily have been considered a date, and I couldn't help but wonder if that's what Paul thought today was going to be. After last night, it was pretty clear that he probably did and if I was honest with myself, I thought the same thing. Once I pulled on my tennis shoes I gave myself the once over in the mirror. There was definitely room for improvement, but Paul liked me as I was, so, I couldn't have been too bad to look at.

It was a quarter to ten and Jason was still sound asleep in his bed. Rather than wake him up and have him settle into protective 'big brother' mode, I left him a note telling him that I would be home later, but I left out the fact that I was going with Paul. When I got home I planned on talking to him about going to Sam's party, but I had my cell phone with me and I figured he would call as soon as he got up anyway, so, I'd talk to him about it then. I grabbed my keys from the counter and my hoodie from where I had draped it over the back of on the kitchen chairs before I walked through the living room and to the front door.

I went outside and locked the door behind me before I settled myself onto the porch stairs. The sun was bright and once again felt wonderful on my face as I sat in its rays and waited for Paul. I knew it probably was a little much to be sitting outside waiting for Paul to show up, but I didn't want to chance Jason waking up when Paul knocked. Jason still wasn't completely on board with the whole Paul thing even though I was happy when I was around Paul.

I was staring at the ground at the bottom of the stairs when I heard the sound of a car pulling up the gravel driveway. I looked up and smiled when I saw a rusted and weathered navy blue truck pull up with a familiar face behind the wheel. I stood up and adjusted my grip on my hoodie as I did so. Paul parked his truck and smiled at me as he climbed out, closed the door and met me half way.

"Hey," he said with a smile and I blushed for some reason. "Excited or what?" he asked and I relaxed as I laughed and shrugged.

"Yes and no," I said and he raised an eyebrow. "Jason's still asleep. I didn't want him to wake up when you knocked. He might not have let me go."

"You didn't tell him you were spending the day with me?" he asked and I shook my head negatively.

"I left him a note and he'll probably call my phone and I'll tell him then if he asks," I said and he grinned.

"Who knew you had a little rebel in you?" he asked rhetorically and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not that big of a rebel," I said and his grin morphed into a small smile. "Paul, about last night . . .," I said, trailing off not exactly knowing how to say what I wanted to say. I wanted to tell him what that kiss had meant to me; how it made me feel like I was worth more than I thought, but he shook his head as he continued to smile at me.

"It's okay. I meant what I said," he said as he reached out and took my right hand into his left. "I'm not going to expect anything from you, Harper. When you're ready, I'll be waiting," he said while he squeezed my hand and I found myself smiling slightly as I looked up at him. "Now, don't think about it; just go with the flow . . . for once," he added with a smile and I laughed as I nodded.

"Okay," I said softly. "So, where are we going?" I asked and it was his turn to laugh before he turned and tugged on my hand to walk me to his truck.

"I can't tell you, but I'm glad you listened to me and wore tennis shoes," he said. He opened the passenger door of his truck and let go of my hand so I could climb into the truck. Once I was settled into the seat he smiled at me before he closed the door and started around the truck. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding as I pulled on my seatbelt and waited for him to get in the truck. He climbed in and smiled at me before he started the truck up and we were on our way.

We rode in silence, but it wasn't an awkward or uncomfortable silence. The radio was playing a classic rock song I had heard Jason play before, but I didn't know the name of it. Country was more my genre because of the stories the songs usually told, but I listened to all sorts of music and I started liking the song that was playing. Especially when I noticed Paul absently drum the beat of the song on the steering wheel as he drove.

I smiled to myself and looked out the window and at the passing scenery when I felt Paul's eyes on me. It was easy for me to know when he was looking at me and several times as we rode along in the comfortable silence I could feel his eyes settle on me. I didn't know why I could feel it when he watched me, but I'd gotten used to it since he liked to stare at me often. We drove for about fifteen minutes before Paul parked his truck and I looked at him expectantly when I noticed we were surrounded by nothing but trees and cliffs.

"You know, I didn't tell you how beautiful you look today," he said and I blushed lightly as I smiled at him.

"Thank you," I said and he tucked some of my behind my left ear.

"Come on," he said with a smile. "We've got a bit of a walk to get where we're going." He climbed out of the truck and I quickly followed, making sure I brought my hoodie with me. I closed the truck door and looked up at him when he stopped a few feet from me and held out his hand to me. I smiled at him and tied my hoodie around my waist before I placed my left hand into his right and followed him into the trees.

Two weeks ago, I wouldn't have followed him. Two weeks ago, I wouldn't have even left the house with him. Two weeks ago, I would have feared that he was going to kill me the second he got me where he wanted me; but I was a different person than I had been two weeks ago and I knew that Paul wouldn't even hurt a hair on my head.

Just like in the car we walked in silence as we walked along a path that Paul seemed to know very well. I had a feeling that he spent a great deal of times in the woods. He seemed like the outdoorsy kind of guy and despite my displeasure for anything slimy, creepy, and/or crawly I still thought we were a good match. I blushed at the thought, but it came unbidden and obviously he liked me just as much as I liked him, so, I really had nothing to be ashamed of.

"Do you need a break?" he asked as he glanced down at me and I looked up at him.

"Huh? No, why?" I asked and he grinned.

"You're face is flushed," he said as he looked ahead and to the path. "You sure you don't need to rest?"

"I'm sure," I said as my blush deepened. I probably already resembled a tomato, and I didn't need to blush anymore. "I'm not tired or warm, I was just thinking."

"Oh? What about?" he asked and I felt him glance at me again. I could see the grin that was probably still on his face, but I kept my eyes ahead.

"Nothing," I said all too quickly and I mentally winced at the slight crack in my voice.

"Whatever you say, Harper," he said with a chuckle and a squeeze of my hand. I smiled then and I felt the heat fade away from my face as my embarrassment lessened. I didn't know how long we walked, but the sun had shifted considerably and I was starting to sweat a bit. "We're here," he said and I sighed as I pushed my hair from my face.

"Finally," I said and he smiled at me.

"I told you it was going to be a bit of a walk," he said and I mock glared at him, which made him laugh before he took my hand into his and we broke through a tree line. A cool breeze wrapped around us and my hair fluttered behind me while I gasped at the site in front of me.

"Wow," I said softly as my eyes scanned the area around us. We were on one the high cliffs that overlooked the ocean. I let go of Paul's hand and moved closer to the edge, but not close enough to stumble and fall. It was like something you'd see in movies or in pictures. It was breathtaking.

"I come here when I want to get away," came Paul's deep voice from behind me and I turned around to look at him. He slowly walked over to me with a smile on his face.

"This place is amazing, Paul," I said with a smile. "I've never seen anything like it." I shivered a bit thanks to the wind and my rapidly cooling skin and he moved even closer so his body heat washed over me.

"I'm glad you like it," he said before he led me over to one of the boulders. We sat down, I snuggled against his side, and we just looked out over the water before we started talking.

We sat there for an hour, just sitting together and talking; and I'd gotten to know Paul even more. The more I learned about him, the more I liked; but I knew that when I told him more about me it probably wasn't going to be a mutual feeling. We'd moved from sitting on top of the boulder to sitting on the grass just in front of it so our backs were resting against the large rock. When Jason hadn't called, I checked my phone but found that I didn't have any service. I knew Jason was probably going to blow a gasket, but as long I was home at a decent hour, he wouldn't worry too much.

"I wanted to share this place with you because it's special to me; just like you are," he said softly. His left arm was wrapped around my shoulder as he held me close and his right hand held onto mine as it rested in between us. He ran his thumb along the back of my hand. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before I raised my head from where it rested on his shoulder and looked at his face.

"Paul, there are things about me that won't make me as special to you as I am right now," I said, my voice shaking a bit as our eyes met.

"Jason told Sam that you'd been through a lot before you guys moved to Forks," Paul said slowly as his dark eyes held mine. "Whatever happened, it's not going to make me look at you any differently. You can trust me on that."

"I'm not so sure about that," I said as I started to pull away, but his grip gently tightened on me to keep me from pulling away from him. "Paul, please," I whispered and he let me go. I stood and walked over towards the cliff's edge like I did earlier, and wrapped my arms around my waist. I heard and felt him come up behind me, but to my surprise he didn't touch me.

"We've been having a great morning, Harper, don't put your wall back up and push me away," he pleaded and I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath through my nose. There was probably a better moment than then, but I knew I would never be braver than I was at that moment. If Paul wanted to pursue something with me, he couldn't go into it blind. He needed to know what he was getting himself into and so I opened my eyes and looked up at him. My arms were still wrapped around my waist, but that was simply to keep my hands from shaking.

"I care about you, Paul," I said, "far more than I probably should, and I know you care about me." He gave me a small encouraging smile that fueled my unexpected bravery. "But before we go any further, there are some things you need to know so you can decide if I really am worth the trouble."

"Harper, I already know you are," he said and I shook my head.

"No, I'm really not, Paul," I said.

"Let me decide that, Harper," he told me as he took a step closer and his massive frame consumed me yet again. That feeling used to frighten me, but I welcomed it when it was Paul. I lowered my arms to my sides and took yet another deep breath.

"All right," I said before I gestured to the boulder we had both just left. "We should sit down. This is going to take a while."


	10. Revised Chapter 10

**Please Read:** Thank you to mhgood and 'kiwiTHElemonLOVER' for your suggestions. I've revised the chapter this morning and hopefully it is an improvement from what I posted last night. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!

Hello everyone! Thank you all very much for your reviews and adds! Sorry I didn't respond to everyone, but thank you all so much. I hadn't even realized that I was already over a hundred reviews and like I said you guys are awesome.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight _series.

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Chapter 10

Once we were settled on the grass in front of the boulder, I took a deep breath and looked at Paul. "I really don't know where to start," I said as the realization about what I was about to do washed over me. Paul took my right hand into his left and rested out joined hands on his bent knee.

"The beginning is always the best place," he said with a small grin, but I didn't feel like smiling. I felt like I was going to be sick and it must have showed on my face because he frowned and tightened his hold on my hand.

"Paul, aside from Jason and my old therapist, Dr. Hamilton; the only other person I have ever talked to this about was a Sacramento detective," I said and Paul's eyes darkened, but his face was still set in a small frown. "It's not exactly on the top of my sharing list, but you're right. The beginning is probably the best place to start." I looked away from him then and out towards the water and jagged shoreline. Talking with Dr. Hamilton in a way prepared me for telling Paul. I'd told her what had happened so many times that the words were already in my head, I just didn't know if I was ready for whatever is reaction was bound to be. I gathered my strength and took yet another deep breath before I started my story.

"I was fourteen and my first year of high school was coming to an end," I said softly, my eyes still trained away from Paul, but his eyes were burning holes on the side of my face. I could feel his stare and the hold he had on my hand gave me a little more encouragement to continue. "It was a Friday at the end of May and the weekend of Jason's graduation from USC. I'd stayed home from school so that my parents and I could drive down to Los Angeles and have dinner with Jason and a few of his friends before their graduation the following day.

"We'd gotten a late start and I was getting ready to climb in the shower when I heard a loud thump downstairs and then my mom screamed my dad's name. I was still dressed, so, I ran downstairs to see what was going only to find my dad lying on the floor of the foyer unconscious. There was a man standing near the foot of the stairs but his back was to me and he had his arms around my mom with a hand over her mouth because her screams were muffled as she tried to fight against him. I snuck back upstairs when I realized that he hadn't heard me come down and I ran into my parents' room."

My voice broke a bit and I cleared my throat to get it working again, and that was when I noticed that Paul no longer had a hold of my hand. His left arm was around my waist and he had pulled me closer to him while I had been talking. I sank into him, hoping that when I was finished he wouldn't push me away in disgust.

"I moved as quietly as I could to the phone that rested on the nightstand, but when I tried to dial out there was no dial tone. He'd cut the phone line and I didn't have a cell phone then because my parents thought I was too young for one." I closed my eyes before I continued, furrowing my brow at the sudden pain in my chest. "I couldn't call for help and I didn't know what to do. I started to panic, but I knew my mom kept her cell phone in purse when she was at home and her bag was in the kitchen and my dad kept his in his office on a charging stand thing Mom had gotten him for Christmas, so, I started back into the hallway and down the stairs." I opened my eyes again and turned my head into Paul's chest, but I didn't look up at his face.

"I didn't see the guy or my mom, but my dad was still lying on the floor. I wanted to check on him, but I knew I had to get to a phone. Dad's office was too far and the kitchen was closer, so, I started for the kitchen. I no more put a foot into the kitchen when the guy, who was wearing a mask, came up from the basement. When he saw me he moved so quickly. I had no time to react before he grabbed me and I started to fight against him, but he was too strong. I bit his arm and that was when he hit me hard in the back of the head with something, knocking me out."

Paul's grip tightened on me and I was pretty sure I heard him growl quietly under his breath, but I pressed on. I was halfway through my story and there was no point in stopping.

"I don't know what happened between the time he hit me and the time I woke up lying on the floor of the unfinished portion of our basement, but I have an idea of what happened because of what I saw. My eyesight was a little foggy, but I could see my dad was tied to a chair and his head was hanging limply against his chest. From where I was laying I couldn't tell if he was breathing and I slowly sat up because my head was spinning. I called out to him and he raised his head and turned his head to look at me.

"His face was bloody and he looked like he . . . he looked like he was in so much pain, and there were tears rolling down his cheeks, but he was trying to put on a brave face for me. He told me not to move, that I needed to stay right where I was, but I didn't listen to him. He needed my help, so, I stood up and quickly moved to him. He told me to stop that it wasn't safe, but I didn't listen. I should have listened," I whispered as I closed my eyes at the memory of the fear in my father's eyes when our captor had returned, dragging my mom's limp body behind him. It had only been then that I had realized the magnitude of what was happening and my fear had rooted me to where I had stood next to my father.

"It's okay, Harper," Paul said as he pressed his forehead to the top of my head. I sighed and opened my eyes. "You're here with me now, and nothing is ever going to happen to you. I promise." He raised his head a bit and pressed a kiss to the side of my head before placing his forehead back against my hair. His words and touch were comforting, but he hadn't heard everything yet. Those words were an empty promise until he knew everything.

"I know," I whispered and I took a deep breath and continued. "Before I could even loosen the knots that tied Dad to the chair, the guy in the mask came back out; dragging my mother behind him. The mask only covered his nose and eyes and I could see him smile at me as he put my mother's lifeless body in front my dad. He grabbed me then and I tripped over my mom's arm, stumbling into him. He laughed and said I was . . . he said I was 'a bit eager' and I felt like I was going to be sick as I started to shake out of fear as he turned me around, pressed my back to his chest, and then put a knife to my throat."

Paul had raised his head from mine and I could feel his body trembling slightly. I didn't know if it was from anger or disgust, but I was leaning towards the latter. I debated on whether or not I should continue because the words were growing harder to say and Paul's trembling was a bit frightening considering he trembled like that the day he had showed up to my house after Jason had told him to stay away. However, I knew I needed to tell him everything. If he wanted a relationship with me, he had the right to know.

"When my dad saw the knife to my throat, he looked . . . he looked scared and begged the guy no to hurt me, that he would give him whatever he wanted, but the guy just laughed and said no one could give him what he really wanted. He . . .he said that I would probably be . . . that I . . .," I could barely get the words out but after clearing my throat and adjusting my body against Paul's they finally came. "He said that I would be more 'fun' than what my mom was."

Paul's trembling had increased a bit and his breathing had grown heavier and deeper to the point it was washing over the top of my head like a rush of wind from a fan. However, I still didn't' look at his face. It was too hard for me to see the emotions that were undoubtedly there.

"Dad told him to let me go, but the guy just . . . he just . . . he kissed my head and then ran the knife down my left cheek," I said as I raised my left hand to the scar that rested there. The memory of the burning sensation that had came with the slice caused a bit of pain to resonate on my cheek. Whenever I thought about how that scar came to be it would tingle with slight pain in reminder of what happened. "Jason's old bedroom was in the finished part of the basement," I said weakly as I lowered my hand back to my lap. "He. . . he . . . he dragged me through the basement . . . and into Jason's room." I pulled myself away from Paul then and stood from the ground before I started to pace a bit. If I continued, he would know how dirty I truly was, how broken I was, and how unworthy I was of the adoration I saw in his eyes when he looked at me.

"Harper," Paul's voice was tight as he said my name and I stopped pacing. With tear filled eyes I finally looked at him. The anger and the pain on his face was a strange combination and for some reason it made my tears fall. "Harper, did he . . .?" his question trailed off and I swallowed the lump in my throat as I wiped at the tears on my face and looked down at the ground.

"Yes; once before he killed my dad and then again before he stabbed me four times in the stomach and left me for dead." Paul let out a growl then and I looked up at him quickly. He stood from the ground as his entire body shook and his face was contorted with such anger that I took a half a step back from him. "Are you okay?" I asked and the next thing I knew standing in place of where Paul had been was a giant dark gray, silver, and white wolf with fire filled brown eyes as he howled loudly into the sky. Pieces of fabric were fluttering to the ground and I realized that I had just watched Paul morph into a giant wolf. "How . . .," I whispered before I fainted dead away.

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Third Person POV

"_Paul, what happened?"_ came Sam's voice in Paul's head and it took all of two seconds for Sam to see what it was that happened. _"Don't move, we're coming."_ Paul was still too angry to phase back even though he was trying so he could go to Harper's side. He whimpered and moved closer to her, nuzzling the side of her face with his snout but she didn't wake.

"_It's okay, Paul,"_ Jared said as he and Sam raced to him.

"_It's not okay, Jared,"_ Paul mentally snapped as his wolf eyes were trained on Harper's seemingly lifeless face. _"You know what she told me. You __**know**__. How could that have happened to her? She was only fourteen."_

"_You have to be strong for her, Paul,"_ Sam said. _"She told you her secret and now you have no choice but to tell her yours."_

"_If she'll even speak to me again,"_ Paul thought as he laid down on the grass next to Harper who was still lying unconscious. _"What am I going to do?"_

"_You're going to talk to her,"_ Sam said and Paul looked up from Harper's body and to the tree line as Jared and Sam broke the line and stood there in their wolf forms. _"She'll listen. She feels the pull too, Paul. She'll understand."_

"_And if she doesn't? With everything that's happened to her, what if it freaks her out and she pushes me away again? I don't know if I can take it,"_ Paul thought and Sam walked over to him as Paul stood.

"_She will. You just have to trust her like she trusts you."_ Paul mentally sighed as he looked back down at Harper. _"Jared's going to phase back, carry her to your truck, and take her to his place."_

"_All right," _Paul said as he Jared went back into the trees and came out a second later dressed in his cut offs. Jared picked up Harper from the ground and looked Paul square in the eyes before giving him a small and reassuring smile. However, Paul couldn't help but worry that it wasn't going to be okay.

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Harper POV

"Tell him, she's okay," a soft voice said from my right and I opened my eyes to find myself lying in an unfamiliar room. Kim was standing at the window talking to someone. "She'll be waking up soon and he can talk to her in a little while."

"Kim?" I asked and Kim quickly looked away from the window and gave me a small smile before she looked back out the window.

"She's awake," she said before she quickly moved to my bedside and sat down on the bed next to me while I sat up with a small frown on my face.

"What happened?" I asked and she took my left hand into both of hers.

"Well, what do you remember?" she asked.

"I was talking to Paul and . . .," I said before I trailed off and pulled my hand from hers and stood from the bed. "He turned into a wolf!" I shouted as I turned around and looked at her. "He turned into a giant wolf, Kim! Can you tell me how that's possible?"

"Harper, you need to calm down," Kim said as she slowly stood from the bed and held her hands out in front of me in a calming gesture, but I was anything but calm.

"Calm? How can I be calm? I poured my heart out to him. I told him everything and he turned into a fucking wolf!" I rarely ever swore, but I was scared, angry, and very confused; all the reason for a few colorful words.

"You've just had a shock, Harper, and if you don't calm down, you're going to have a panic attack," Kim said.

"I've had those before and trust me I'm not on the verge of one," I said sharply and I instantly regretted snapping at her. "I'm sorry, Kim, but I'm pissed off and confused and I just want some answers."

"Harper," she said with a soft sigh, but she didn't get to finish because the door opened behind me and I quickly turned around to see Paul standing there in a pair of cut offs and his dark eye heavy with worry as he looked at me. Sadness crept into his eyes when I took a step back from him. "Paul, you might want to wait a minute," Kim said, but Paul shook his head negatively as he kept his eyes on me.

"No, I'm not going to leave her waiting for answers. She's been through enough already," he said tightly but softly, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Fine," Kim said under her breath as Paul walked further into the room and she left it. Paul closed the door and carefully regarded my face. We just looked at her for a long time and I wasn't sure what emotion was there for him to see, but whatever it was it didn't look like he liked it.

"Harper, I know you're probably a little freaked out, but please just hear me out," Paul said softly.

"Freaked out doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling right now," I said. "I told you why I am the way I am and all of a sudden you explode into a giant wolf." I was pretty sure I was repeating myself, but I was very confused.

"I phased, Harper," he said. "I'm just glad you weren't standing close enough to get hurt." He started to walk closer to me, but I backed away from him again and he stopped advancing on me.

"What?" I asked confused by what he said.

"I'm . . . well it's complicated, but I can transform into a wolf," he said and I raised an eyebrow for a further explanation but he just looked at me.

"How?" I asked.

"Genetics?" he asked more than said and I frowned. "Look, I was angry and I couldn't stop myself from phasing."

"You were angry at me?" I asked, hurt at the thought, and his eyes widened as he shook his head quickly and took another step closer to me and I took another step back, which led the back of my legs to hit against the bed I had just been lying on. Paul sighed heavily as he looked down at the floor and shook his head again.

"No, Harper," he said deeply before he ran his hands through his hair, the frustration clear in the action. "I wasn't angry at you. How could I be angry at you when you hadn't done anything?"

"Then what were you angry at?" I asked softly and he turned his eyes back to mine. The moisture that I saw in his eyes surprised me and a lump was suddenly forming in my throat as I fought against my own tears.

"I was angry that that happened to you. I was angry that I wasn't there to stop that from happening to you. That I wasn't there to protect you; that that _slimy _excuse for a man did that to you. It shouldn't have happened. It just shouldn't have."

"You didn't know me then, Paul; so, why do you think you needed to be there to protect me?" I asked, confused by part of his declaration. I was not as angry as I had been; however, I was still a bit scared. I didn't know what was happening and I was pretty sure that I was indeed going insane. My brain could only take so much and the fact that the boy I liked could transform into a wolf was the tipping point.

"It has to do with the wolf part of me, and I can explain everything, Harper, if . . . if you don't pull away from me," he said slowly.

"Are you going to hurt me?" I asked knowing the question was stupid the second it came out of my mouth. Pain flashed in his eyes and he shook his head negatively.

"I told you that I would never hurt you, Harper, and I meant it," he said firmly, his eyes never leaving mine. I believed him and I subtly nodded my head. He closed the distance between us and gently took me into his arms. I sighed at the contact and practically fell into his arms, my face pressing against his bare chest. His skin was so hot, and for a second it felt like all my issues and problems were just melting away at his touch. The comfort that being in his arms brought was overwhelming and despite the fear and confusion, I didn't want to pull away from him.

"Did they catch him?" he asked suddenly and I raised my head to look up at him. His eyes were dangerous looking, but the anger and heat that was in them was not directed at me.

"Yes," I said as I rested my hands on his waist. He took a deep and slow breath through his nose, his eyes still holding mine, both of us unwilling to look away from each other.

"Who was he?" he ground out through clenched teeth.

"The husband of a woman my dad wasn't able to save," I said softly and he frowned. "My dad was a trauma surgeon and his wife died on my dad's table after an accident. He blamed my dad and lashed out after seven months of threats that my dad didn't take seriously." Paul sighed and leaned down and rested his forehead against mine. We stood like that for several seconds before I finally broke the silence that had settled between us. "Paul, are you going to tell me how the hell it's possible for you to turn into a wolf the size of a small horse?"


	11. Chapter 11

Hello everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. Sorry I didn't update sooner, but the weather's been really nice where I live and I've been enjoying the warm up we've been having. Hopefully you guys won't hold that against me! I really am glad everyone is enjoying this story and you guys are awesome for all of your reviews. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 11

"So it really is genetic?" I asked after several beats of silence between the two of us. We were sitting on the bed and hadn't left the bedroom for the last thirty minutes while Paul explained everything to me.

"Yeah," he said slowly as he watched my face carefully and took in my expression. I was pretty sure the expression on my face was one of utter confusion after Paul told me about the Quileute legends and the reason why quite a few of the young Quileute men shape shifted into wolves. Vampires.

Vampires actually existed but in a way that was a complete one-eighty of how they were in the movies and in most books. He wouldn't tell me much about them, but he said that he'd make sure that one never got near me. He told me that Sam, Jared, him, and a few others that I had yet to meet patrolled the reservation to keep their people safe from any potential threat, but that they didn't patrol as often as they used to as the threat wasn't as great as it used to be.

"Harper?" he asked and I turned my head to face him completely and he looked a little panic. I gave him a small smile and relief filled his eyes before I looked away from him and down at my clasped hands in my lap.

"Looks like we both had stories to tell," I said softly and his large hand reached out and covered both of my hands. I didn't look at him. I just unclasped my hands and laced the fingers of my right hand with his left before I rested my left hand on top of our joined hands.

"There's something else," he whispered.

"What's that?" I asked slowly as I turned my eyes to his.

"When you told me to stay away, you remember how awful you felt?" he asked and I nodded. "I felt that way too only, for the first day I didn't phase out of my wolf form. I was so upset that you'd pushed me away and it hurt so bad, I didn't know what to do." It dawned on me then that the wolf I heard howling loudly that day had been him.

"The wolf I heard howling was you," I said more or less to get confirmation and he nodded as he squeezed my hand.

"It felt like a knife in my chest when you pushed me away because . . .," he trailed off and sighed heavily before he closed his eyes. "I don't know how to say this right," he said softly as he opened his eyes and his dark eyes held mine. "I should probably have Emily or Kim talk to you about this part."

"Paul, what are you trying to say?" I asked and he let out a heavy breath and let go of my hand before he stood from the bed and ran his hand through his hair. "I think that if you can tell me that you shape shift into a giant wolf on occasion and that I can tell you how messed up I am, you can tell me whatever it is that has you like this."

He turned to face me and lowered his hands to his sides. He clenched his hands into fists as he looked at me, but I knew it wasn't because he was going to hit me. It was because he was frustrated and unsure of himself. His defense mechanism was anger when he was in a corner. I'd learned that from a few of the stories he had shared with me, but it wasn't anger that fueled his uncertainty. It was fear, and I could read it clear in his beautiful eyes. He was afraid to tell me what it was that had him so on edge, but it really couldn't have been that bad.

"I'm going to get Kim," he said as he turned around and I was quick to my feet. I rushed in front of him and put my hands on his hot skin, which I learned was an effect of his transformation.

"No, I don't want Kim to tell me whatever it is that has you like this," I said as I looked up at him and he unclenched his hands before he wrapped them around my wrists. Thankfully he didn't pull my hands from him, but I could tell he was thinking about it. "Obviously it's important and we've gotten pretty damn good at this communicating thing; so, why stop now?"

"Because . . . you'll take it in a way that I don't want you to," he said heavily.

"Paul, just tell me," I said and his grip tightened around my wrists, not enough to hurt me but enough to let me know he was desperate.

"Remember when I mentioned the whole 'imprint' thing?" he asked, referring to just minutes before when he explained the Quileute legend and the lives of the tribal warriors. He had quickly brushed over it, but an imprint was the warrior's other half. His soul mate.

"Yeah," I said slowly.

"You're _my_ imprint," he whispered as his dark eyes held mine without wavering from them. His entire body was tense as he awaited my reaction.

"So," I started before I had to clear my throat of the sudden lump that had settled there. "So, the night at Sam and Emily's . . . when I ran into you and . . . and you looked at me like you did . . . it happened then, didn't it?" I finally got out and he gave me a small smile.

"When your eyes met mine it was instant," he said as he let go of my wrists and raised his hands to gently cup my face. "The second I looked into your eyes everything made sense, Harper. Every crazy turn my life took led me right to you." He spoke so softly to me as he ran his thumbs along my face that his words seemed to caress my mind. I broke myself free from the haze that surrounded me and pulled away from him. He looked hurt that I pulled away, but quickly masked the more vulnerable emotion.

"Then everything between us is because of imprinting. Everything between us is a lie?" I asked, my heart breaking a little at just the thought of him not feeling anything for me on his own free will. "It's just . . . magic. You don't like me just because. You like me because the wolf part of you drew you to me."

"It's nothing like that, Harper," he said as he took half a step closer but I held up my hands for him to stop and he did.

"Then tell me this," I said as I lowered my hands. "If it wasn't for the whole imprinting thing, would you have even looked twice at me?" He stared at me for the longest time before he closed the distance between us and placed his hands roughly on my upper waist as he pulled me closer to him. My hands once again found their way to his chest, but they were trembling a bit out of fear of what his answer was going to be.

"I'm not going to lie and tell you I would have loved you the second I saw you that night, but I would have eventually," he said, his eyes still holding mine. He was telling the truth. There was absolutely nothing in his eyes that hinted what he was saying was a lie. "It probably would have taken a lot longer for you to open up and it wouldn't have been until then that I saw just how perfect you really are."

"I'm not perfect, Paul," I said quickly and he smiled at me. That was the second time he had told me that I was perfect and the first time he said it, I had been too stunned to say anything. He had just kissed me senseless at that moment after all.

"Yes you are," he said.

"Sure okay," I said with a bitter laugh and a shake of my head.

"Before I met you, Harper, I wasn't . . . I wasn't the most pleasant guy. I had a few issues and I still have some, but all I have to do is think of your smile," he paused and raised his right hand to my face, gently cupping my jaw as he ran his thumb along my lower lip before settling his thumb on my cheek, "and it's like almost nothing can ruin my day." I believed him, and I felt bad. I felt bad because he imprinted on me. He would forever be connected to me, when he deserved someone so much better.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as I looked up at him and he frowned.

"For what?" he asked.

"You deserve someone better than me, Paul," I said. "I'm damaged goods and I am only just learning who I am all over again." He shook his head as his grip on my waist tightened and he pulled me even closer, wrapping his arm around me completely as he tilted my head back with his right hand so I was looking up at him.

"Don't," he said tightly as he looked at me. My hands were pressed between our bodies, but I didn't have the courage to move them. His eyes were too intense for me to do much more than hold his gaze and breath; and I was barely doing the latter. "I won't let you even think that, Harper. We've both got things we need to work through and we can work through them together."

"If it wasn't for imprinting on me, when I told you about what happened to me, do you think you would still want to be with me?" I asked.

"_That _wouldn't make any difference even I didn't imprint on you, Harper," he said. "What happened doesn't change how I feel about you. You're still perfect, no matter what you say and think. You just are." Tears filled my eyes at his words and I fought to hold them back. I wanted to believe he was lying and just telling me what I wanted to hear, but I knew he wasn't; and it was very hard for me to believe that he really felt that way about me.

"Could you ignore the imprint if you wanted to?" I asked softly. My voice was barely audible to my ears and it shook a bit, but because of his keen senses I knew he heard me.

"Even if I could, I wouldn't; and I'm not going to live my life without you in it," he said. "I love you, Harper, battle scars and all." My breath caught in my throat when I heard him say those words to me and I didn't know what to do. I cared about him a great deal, but I wasn't ready to say those words back to him and by the look in his eyes he knew that. "I'm not expecting you to say it back. I only want you to know how I really feel," he whispered as he pressed his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes when his breath washed over my face and a lone tear rolled down my cheek. He wiped it away without a word and just held me close.

I didn't know what to think anymore, but I knew that I didn't want to be anywhere other than where I was at that very moment. Even though I should have pushed away and told him I couldn't possibly be what he wanted, I didn't. When I was around him it seemed like I all I wanted was to be with him and nothing else mattered. Words couldn't express what I was feeling, so, I slowly turned my head against Paul's and tilted my chin up so that my lips were a feather's touch from his. Just as I was about to close the centimeter between us, the door busted open. I jumped away from Paul a bit, but remained in his arms as a slightly frazzled looking Kim stood in the doorway.

"I'm sorry, but Jason's on his way and unless you want him to find you in a room with a half naked man, I suggest you join me in the kitchen. I've got it all set up so it looks like we've been busy all day," Kim said quickly and I looked from her to Paul.

"Go on," he urged. "Tell him that Kim came over and picked you up this morning so you could have a girls' day. I don't think he'd like the idea of you spending yet another day alone with me." I nodded and he kissed my temple before he looked back down at me. "You can't tell him about my secret," he whispered and I shook my head.

"I won't, I promise," I said. Even if I did, he probably would have thought I really did crack and send me off to some mental hospital.

"I'll see you later, Harper," he said before he smiled and quickly made his way past Kim and out of the house.

"Come on," Kim said as she took my hand. Surprisingly, I didn't flinch or start to panic at her touch. Apparently, Paul and Jason weren't alone in the comfort that physical contact now brought to me. I wiped at my eyes with my free hand as she pulled me into the kitchen. I was still a flustered from the events of the day as I threw on an apron and Kim carefully dusted it with flour before tying an apron around her slim waist. "You look like you've been busting your but in a kitchen all day, so, I thought this was as good as an excuse as any." I offered her a weak smile before we started making chocolate chip cookies.

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Shortly after Paul and Jared had disappeared and Kim and I settled into a grove in the kitchen and already had a pan of cookies in the oven, there was a solid knock on the door. Kim shot me a look and I gave her a small smile before she wiped her hands on a towel and made her way out of the kitchen and to the front door. My heart was pounding hard in my chest when I heard Jason's voice followed by Kim's soft and reassuring tone.

"Sorry, Jason, I thought Harper could use a girls' day. I didn't mean to make you worry," Kim said as she led Jason into the kitchen and my older brother had scowl on his face as he looked at me and as Kim settled at the counter next to me.

"Hi Jason," I said with a weak smile but his scowl remained.

"Why did you turn your phone off?" he asked and I shook my head negatively.

"I didn't turn it off, I just don't get service out here," I said as I put another spoonful of dough onto the cookie sheet and Kim took the pan from the oven.

"Why didn't you at least call me to let me know you were okay? I woke up to a note saying you'd see me later and no phone call for nearly six hours," he said, hands on his hips. He had no idea how much he had grown to act like our dad over the last three years.

"I'm sorry, Jason, I guess I lost track of time," I said with a shrug. "Kim asked me to breakfast this morning and after breakfast she asked if I wanted to help her bake some cookies."

"She's been a great help," Kim said. "We made a bunch for a fishing trip Jared when on this morning and now we just started making some for her to bring home to you." Kim stuck the pan I just finished filling into the oven and Jason let out a breath as he lowered his hands from his hips and walked closer to me.

"I just worry about you, Harper," he said and I smiled.

"I'm fine, Jason," I said not only for his benefit but for Kim's. I glanced at her before I looked back my brother. "Really, I am." I knew she was concerned about more than just cookies and getting Jason to believe our lie. She was concerned about Paul and me; and just how I was taking to the news. I really was surprisingly fine, but I wasn't sure if everything had sunk in yet.

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Jason and I had dinner with Kim and Jared once he returned from his 'fishing trip.' It had been a comfortable evening and while I helped Kim with the dishes, my thoughts kept turning to Paul and wondering where he was and what he was doing. During dinner I realized that despite everything I wanted to be with Paul. I wanted a relationship with him. I wanted a future with him. I wanted what I thought I could never have, but now it was right in front of me and I wasn't going to let it get away from me.

"I know it's a lot to take in all at once, Harper," Kim said softly as she handed me a plate to dry and I looked from the window above the sink and at her smiling face. I blushed because she caught me day dreaming.

"It is a bit, isn't it?" I asked and she laughed lightly and nodded her head. It was silent between the two of us for a few seconds before she spoke again.

"Harper," she said as I put the plate in the drying rack for it to sit with the other dishes to dry completely. "You're welcome to come and spend time with Emily and I any time you like. We could use another girl around here and I think Emily's going to need a few extra pairs of hands when she finally has the baby." I smiled at her and nodded my head.

"I'd like that," I said and she smiled in return before Jared walked into the kitchen and over to the fridge where he pulled a couple cans of soda from the fridge.

"Harper," he said and I looked at him after I dried the bowl Kim gave me. "Would you mind pulling the grill up closer to the house for me? It should be cool enough." I stared at him for a second before he grinned, winked at me, and walked out of the kitchen and back into the living room where he and Jason were watching the baseball game that was on that night. I looked at Kim and she laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"Go on, you'll find out why he sent you out there soon enough," she said before she took the towel and bowl from my hands. I frowned and slowly walked to the patio door and stepped out onto the deck of the house. I turned and closed the patio door behind me and when I turned around I nearly had a heart attack when I found Paul suddenly standing behind me.

"Good gracious, why don't you scare the living daylights out of me," I said as I put my hand to my chest and looked up at him only to see him grinning at me. "It's not funny," I said as I lowered my hand and he tried to sober up his face, but failed. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if you were okay," he said as he took my hand and tugged on it for me to follow him. We walked down the steps of the porch and around the side of the house where we wouldn't be seen by anyone inside. The sun was still shining but it was lower in the sky and hidden behind the trees, however, the light glowed behind Paul as he stood in front of me and it looked like he was surrounded by a halo of light. He let go of my hand and I rested my body against the siding of the house while I looked up at him. "Are you okay?" he asked and I nodded my head.

"Yeah, I am," I said.

"Are _we_ okay?" he asked and I found myself smiling.

"I'm not going to push you away if that's what you're worried about," I said and I literally saw his body relax as he moved closer to me, resting his hands on my hips.

"You look tired," he said gently and I sighed quietly as I tilted my head back and met his eyes.

"It's been a really long day," I said and he nodded as he sighed quietly. "Paul, are you sure you about this?" I knew what I wanted and even though I knew he wanted the same thing, I was still willing to give him an out.

"About what?" he asked with a small frown.

"Us," I said and his frown deepened. "Do you really think you'll be happy with me?" I asked and he closed the small distance between us to the point where his body heat overwhelmed me and my heart started to pound heavily and echo loudly in my ears.

"I know I'll be happy with you, Harper," he said. "Do you think you'll be happy with me?" he asked, throwing my question back at me.

"Paul, for three years I didn't know if I was ever going to feel the way I do when I'm with you," I said. "You came along and completely threw me for a loop. So, yes, Paul I think I will be very happy with you." His smile was blinding and he pulled me from where I rested against the house and crashed my body against his chest as his hands slid up to my upper waist. I raised my hands to his shoulders and looked up at him.

"I love you, Harper," he said deeply as his eyes held mine and I gave him a small smile before I brought my hands to his face and pulled his lips to mine. I couldn't say those words just yet, but I could show him how I felt and he was quick to respond as our lips melted together. He sighed against my lips and tightened his hold on me as he increased the pressure of his lips against mine.

As we kissed he gently pushed me back so I was pressed up against the house again and he brought a hand to my face as one of my hands slid down to his bare chest and the other found its way to his hair. He may have been able to change into a giant wolf and I may have had all sorts of issues, but when we were together none of it mattered to me. All that mattered was him and the feelings coursing through my body. In the end we really were perfect for each other; there was no fighting it and I didn't want to anyway.


	12. Chapter 12

Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait, but real life kicked my butt this week. I hope this super long chapter makes up for the wait. Thank you for all your reviews and adds, I'm so glad everyone's enjoying the story so far. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight _series.

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Chapter 12

"We didn't get him anything for his birthday," I said the following morning as Jason and I finished up our breakfast before we got ready to go to Sam's birthday party.

"Sam told me that the only thing he wanted was for us to come," Jason said as he ran his hand over his short auburn hair and sighed. He hadn't wanted to go to the party and it had taken some convincing, including me calling Sam to guilt Jason into agreeing to go. I was pretty sure that he wanted to keep Paul and me as far away from each other as possible, but I wasn't going to let that happen. When I was with Paul, I felt like my old self again. I felt like who I was before the night my life changed for forever.

"Still, it's a bit rude don't you think?" I asked and Jason rolled his eyes.

"A few weeks ago if I would have mentioned running to the drug store, you would have had a fit and now you're worried about being rude for not bringing a gift for Sam," he said and I frowned. "I really don't know what's gotten into you, Harp."

"Aren't you the one that told me that I couldn't hide away forever? Is it so bad that I'm actually living instead of dwelling in what happened to me?" I asked sharply as I stood from the kitchen table and brought my empty cereal bowl to the sink where I rinsed it and left it there for later.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I just don't understand _how_ this happened," he said as he too stood with his own bowl in hand. I snatched his bowl and spoon from his hands and rinsed them before settling them in the sink with mine. "It took you three years to let me even _touch _you, and now we move here and it's almost like nothing ever happened to you."

"I haven't forgotten it, Jason," I snapped as I turned back around and glared at him. Jason's face paled a bit and I knew he instantly regretted his words. "I can't forget it because I remember it every time I look in the mirror, and what I don't understand is why you can't be happy that I'm _actually _happy." I sighed as I ran my right hand down my face and looked at him, angry tears filling my eyes. This was so not how I wanted to start my morning. "Why do I have to have a reason to be happy? Why can't I just be happy without having to explain myself to you or to anyone else?"

"Harper, you don't have to explain yourself. I'm just trying to-," Jason started as he took a step closer to me, but I shook my head.

"I'm not finished," I said and he stopped walking and closed his mouth so I could continue. "I don't want to go to therapy. I don't want to have to sit and talk about my feelings about what happened to me anymore and how I feel about doing this or doing that. I'm past it now, Jason, can't you see that?" He sighed heavily as he closed the distance between us and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Okay, Harp, you don't have to," he said, and it was easy for me to see the concern in his eyes. I was pretty sure I was having some sort of breakthrough and the fact that I was talking so opening with Jason about how I was feeling at that moment was definitely new. I never opened up with him like I was, and it was high time that I did. Dr. Hamilton would be proud.

"I know that we both lost the two most important people in our lives that night, and I know that you had to give up a lot because of me. I love you all the more for it because I'm pretty sure I would have ended up a lot more messed up than I did if you hadn't. You gave me reasons to keep fighting for the surface when I was drowning in everything and I found it. I think I'll be able to tread the water, but you may have to give me a hand every now and then."

"You're my sister, Harper, and I love you," he said easily. "I'd give you the world if I could."

"I don't want the world; I just want you to stop worrying so much about me. You've done enough and I think I turned out okay," I said with a teary smile. My anger was long gone and was replaced by the love and appreciation I had for my brother. He was an amazing man to do what he did for me, and some day he was going to make a woman very lucky.

"You still got a few kinks, but I think you'll be able to iron them out," he said and I laughed lightly as I rubbed at my eyes and hugged him tight. He kissed the side of my head and squeezed me a little tighter before he gently nudged me away. "Go on and get a shower while I clean up out here," he said and I pulled away from him as I nodded. I shot him one more smile before I rushed off into the bathroom to get ready for the party.

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I knew Paul liked my large loose curls, but I wanted to do something different. I found my old straightener buried in the bathroom cupboard and once my hair was washed and dried as straight as I could get it, I had ran the straightener over my auburn locks. I wasn't surprised when my hair fell neatly down to the middle of my back. I wasn't sure if Paul was going to like the change, but once I washed my hair it would return to its normal large and bouncy curls.

I smiled at my reflection once I was dressed and ready to go because I barely recognized the girl looking back at me in the mirror. If it wasn't for the scar on my reflection's face I would have thought that I was looking at someone else. The weather was warm and beautiful just like it had been the last couple of days, and since I wanted to look nice I opted to wear one of the two sundresses that hung in my closet. I had a lavender colored dress and a buttery yellow dress, so, I had selected the yellow once since after my 'talk' with Jason I felt much better. I was sliding my feet into my white flip flops when Jason knocked on my bedroom door.

"Come on, Harper, we've got to get going if we want to get there in time," he said through the door and after grabbing my cell phone from the nightstand I went to the door and opened it. Jason was still standing there and he raised an eyebrow when he noticed what I was wearing. "Since when do you actually where those dresses?" he asked and I laughed as I walked past him and into the living.

"Since I felt like it, now let's go," I said and I heard him chuckle before he followed me and the two of us quickly made our way to his truck. Like the last time, it didn't take us very long to reach Sam and Emily's place and their driveway and yard were already littered with cars and trucks as Jason parked his truck behind the one I knew to be Paul's. My heart started racing a bit when I realized that he was here already and the smile on my face couldn't be helped as we climbed from the truck and made our way around to the back of the house where we could hear music and laughter echoing a bit. It was just past noon and I figured that Emily and Kim were hard at work in the kitchen, but I wanted to see Paul before I went inside to lend a hand.

"Hey, look who made it!" Jared said once Jason and I rounded the corner and Jason laughed while I offered him a small smile and blushed when everyone turned to look at us. There were several other young men that were just as big as Sam, Jared, and Paul; but I didn't know any of them, and there were also quite a few older people and one of the large young men was playing with a little girl that was no more than five or six. Instead of letting my nerves take over I walked over to Sam and hugged the older man tightly while Jason followed.

"Happy birthday, Sam," I said and Sam chuckled as he hugged me back.

"Thanks Harper," he said.

"Sorry we come empty handed," I continued as we pulled apart and he shook his head.

"I've got everything I want," he said with a smile and knew that he was talking about Emily, so, I smiled in return.

"Happy birthday, man," Jason said as he clamped his hand on Sam's shoulder and Sam looked away from me and to Jason before he laughed and nodded his head in thanks. Suddenly, Jared grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the pair.

"Come on, you need to meet everyone," Jared said as he pulled me over to the various groups and introducing me to so many people my head was starting to spin. However, I wasn't nervous about meeting any of them until he brought me over to the group of large young men, who all were smiling as they looked at me. "Guys _this_ is Harper," Jared said proudly and I rolled my eyes at his tone. It was obvious that I had been a topic of conversation at some point between the group of men. "Harper this is Embry, Seth, Brady, Colin, Jacob, and the dork over there playing with Claire is Quil," Jared finished as he pointed with his thumb to the young man with the little girl, who looked up and glared at Jared before returning his attention to Claire.

"It's nice to meet all of you," I said and Seth was the first one to speak.

"Welcome to the family," he said and I laughed lightly before I smiled at him. He radiated energy and kindness and I was pretty sure that I was going to get a long pretty well with him.

"Thanks, I guess," I said and we talked for a little while about nothing really in particular and after fifteen minutes I was getting anxious. So, I gently touched Jared's arm and he looked down at me curiously. "Where's Paul?" I asked quietly but everyone heard me because they all laughed loudly, which made me blush a bit as I looked at them.

"I was wondering how long it was going to take you to ask that question," he said through a smile as he looked up and behind me before he nudged out his chin. "Right there," he said and I quickly turned around and saw him looking at me from where he stood at the tree line dressed in a pair of dark jeans and loose fitting gray t-shirt. "He went for a walk because he was anxious for you to get here."

"Thanks," I said quietly without looking at Jared before I started towards Paul, however, I turned around to make sure Jason didn't notice where I was going and thankfully he was still talking to Sam and his back was to me. I turned back around and quickly continued on my path to Paul. Once I was within his reaching distance, he gently took my hand and pulled me into the dense trees, taking cover in their shadows before he kissed me deeply. I sighed against his lips as my free hand slid up his chest to rest on his neck as he kissed me. We'd seen each other the night before, but it felt like it had been ages since I had last been in my arms.

"You look beautiful," he whispered once he pried his lips from mine and I smiled up at him.

"Thank you," I whispered and he sighed quietly before he rested his forehead against mine and ran his hand through my straightened hair.

"Why did you straighten it?" he asked absently and I bit my lower lip.

"You don't like it?" I asked and he raised his head from mine before he shook his head negatively.

"No, I like it," he said. "It's just different."

"I wanted to try something different, but don't worry I won't do this all the time," I said and he smiled before he leaned in and kissed me again, but briefer than the last one.

"Good because I love your curls," he said before he kissed me again and wrapped his arms around my waist before he pulled my body flushed against his. I threw my arms around his shoulders and returned his kiss. After several bliss filled seconds, I forced myself to pull my lips from his.

"We better join the others," I said. "It's Sam's party after all."

"And your brother's here," he said and I bit my lip again before I nodded. "Okay," he said through a heavy breath. "Let's go join the party." I smiled at him and kissed him chastely before I slip from his arms. I heard him groan quietly and I turned around to look at him with a frown.

"What?" I asked and I could have sworn I saw a blush creep across his cheeks as his eyes snapped up to my face from my legs.

"Nothing," he said quickly before he was quick to my side and I raised an eyebrow but didn't say any more because I realized something about Paul. He was a leg man.

* * *

Another week had gone by and it was almost like I was back to my old self again. Sam's party had been a lot of fun and Paul had gone back to work during the week, but for lunch he had snuck off to have the afternoon meal with me no matter where they were working. It was Saturday and Jared, Sam, and Paul had taken Jason on a fishing trip with a few of the older gentlemen on the reservation and Chief Swan. So, Jason let me borrow his truck since he rode to the reservation with Chief Swan and I had made my way to Emily's place that morning to help her and Kim put the final touches on the nursery.

"Hey, I have a bear just like this," I said as I picked up the soft cream colored bear. It looked older than the other stuffed animals and I noticed that its right eye had been sewn back on.

"Really?" Emily asked with a soft smile and I looked at her as I nodded.

"Yeah, George is a little worse for wear though because I dragged him _everywhere_ with me until I was ten. He's got a checkered patch on his stomach that my mom had sewn on after the neighbor's dog took the stuffing out of him when I was seven and his left eye has been missing since before then." I laughed when Emily and Kim started chuckling and put the bear back down in the corner of the crib where it had been resting. "I've got him hidden under my pillow so Jason won't make fun of me for holding on to him."

"That bear was Sam's," Emily said and I raised an eyebrow while Kim scoffed. "What?" Emily asked as she put her hand on her belly and smiled at Kim.

"Nothing really, it's just that Sam doesn't seem like the type to keep a childhood memento," Kim said and Emily shrugged before she waddled over to where I stood and looked down fondly at the bear.

"I found a button to match the eye and sewed it on and cleaned it up," she said. "We'd found it while going through a box of things his mother had sent over. I thought it would be nice for the baby to have it."

"It is nice, Emily," I said and she turned her head to look at me. "If George wasn't so tattered, I'd probably want any future offspring of mine to have him. However, he will more than likely remain tucked under my pillow until I'm old and gray." Emily laughed before she grimaced and bent slightly.

"Okay, that's the fifth time I've seen you do that in the last hour and you're not going to tell me that it's just gas," Kim said as she quickly walked over to Emily and put a hand on Emily's shoulders while I looked between my new friends with small frown.

"They're only ten minutes apart," Emily said once she gained her breath and I gasped as I looked at her with wide eyes.

"Emily, why did you tell us?" Kim asked as she lowered her hand and Emily sighed as she shook her head.

"My water hasn't broken yet and Dr. Lucas said that I didn't need to get to the hospital until they were seven minutes apart," Emily reasoned and I rolled my eyes while Kim let a noise out of her throat that I hadn't heard anyone make before.

"Screw three minutes," Kim said. "I'm taking you to the hospital." She then turned her eyes to me. "Cell phone service is crap where the guys are, if I give you directions, can you drive out there and get Sam and tell him to get to the hospital as quickly as he can?" I didn't know what to say so I just nodded. "Good, come on," she said before she took Emily's arm and the three of us walked out of the nursery.

* * *

I drove for ten minutes before I finally spotted everyone's cars parked along a dirt trail. Kim had told me I'd have to walk down a path before I would get to where the guys fished, and I was cursing myself for wearing flip flops when I climbed out of Jason's truck and started running down the path. I'd lost my right shoe half-way down the path but I kept running, and it only took me a minute to reach them. Thankfully, they were fishing from a dock that went out into the water and I didn't have to shot across the water for them. Sam, Jared, and Paul were already looking my way when I broke through the trees and I probably looked a fright as I panted and waved my right arm frantically.

"Sam!" I managed to shout, drawing everyone's attention to me. "Sam!" I shouted again and Sam handed his pole off to Jared before he started running down the dock and then towards me once he reached the shore with Paul hot on his heels.

"Harper, what's wrong?" Sam asked and I took a deep breath as I pushed my hair from my face.

"It's Emily," I said and his entire body stiffened. "She's gone into labor. Kim's taking her to the hospital and sent me to get you." Sam didn't say a word before he took off down the path that I had just came running down and I was trying to get my breathing under control. I was terribly out of shape and a short run like that had me panting like a hyena in heat.

"Where's your shoe?" Paul asked and I looked up to see him frowning as he looked down at my feet.

"Lost it on the path somewhere," I said gesturing behind me and he moved his eyes to mine as he raised an eyebrow. "You try running frantically in flip flops and then you can judge me, mister," I said with a playful push on his arm and he chuckled just as Jared, Jason, Chief Swan, and several other men that I had yet to meet, came over and joined us. Chief Swan pushed along in a man in a wheelchair that smiled warmly at me when he saw me. For some reason my already flushed face darkened a bit, but I managed a small smile back at him.

"What's going on?" Jared asked and I turned my eyes to him. Thankfully, my breathing had slowed down a bit to the point where I was no longer panting, but my chest was burning a bit.

"Emily's gone into labor and Kim's taken her to the hospital," I said and Jared's eyes widened.

"Emily's having her baby?" the man in the wheelchair asked and I nodded as I looked at him. The men started smiling and Chief Swan grinned when I looked at him.

"Harper, where's your shoe?" Jason asked and I rolled my eyes while Paul chuckled.

"I lost it when I was running down the path," I said as I looked at him. "I'll get it when I head back to the truck."

"We should head up to the hospital," Jared said as he looked at Paul who nodded before he looked at me at the same time I turned my eyes to him. We stared at each other for half a beat before I spoke.

"Jason, can I go with them?" I asked as I looked way from Paul and at my brother. Jason looked at Jared who shrugged.

"I don't mind and she can help keep Kim busy," Jared said and Jason nodded before he looked back at me.

"All right, but call me to let me know how things are going and when you're going to be home," he said and I nodded before I tossed him his keys and followed Jared and Paul down the path. I wasn't really surprised to find Paul waiting for me just inside the trees and the second I was at his side, he took my hand into his.

"You okay to walk?" he asked and I smiled, but kept my eyes on the path ahead of us and Jared's back. I heard Jared's quiet chuckle, but I chose to ignore it.

"I'm fine," I said. "We'll find my flip flop along here somewhere."

"Here it is!" Jared called as he paused long enough to bed over and grab the shoe from the ground. He turned to face me with a grin on his face before he tossed it at me. Paul's reflexes were quicker as he brought me to a stop and caught it with his empty right hand with ease before he held it out to me. I smiled at him before I raised my right foot, brushed the dirt from it with my left hand and took the extended shoe from his hand before I slipped it back on.

"Thanks," I said and the three of us continued on in silence until we got to Jared's car. I was excited that Emily was finally going to have her baby, but I was worried for her at the same time.


	13. Chapter 13

Hello everyone! Thank you all for reading and for the reviews and adds. I hope you all had a nice weekend and that you like this chapter. Not much goes on, but the next chapter will be eventful. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 13

Later that night, I stood in the back of the hospital room while Kim and Jared stood next to the bed that held a tired looking Emily as she smiled at Sam who sat next to her on the bed with a small bundle wrapped in a blue blanket. Paul had gone off to make a few calls to give everyone the news on behalf of the happy couple leaving me on my own with the others. Even though I considered them all my friends, I didn't want to intrude on the moment because I hadn't been a part of their family, as Seth had put it, for very long. It was probably very silly of me to think that, but I really couldn't help it.

Emily's labor had been a bit intense on the tiny woman considering her son came out at nearly nine pounds. Her water had broke on the way to the hospital and her dilation had gone so quickly that Sam had barely made it to the hospital in time. By the time he arrived, Emily had already been prepped for delivery and was getting ready to start pushing. At first her doctor had been worried that she wouldn't be able to deliver the baby naturally considering his size, but Emily managed even though she needed many, _many_, stitches afterwards. Emily was now officially my hero in all aspects of being a woman.

There was a reason she was Sam's perfect match. She was just as tough and strong willed as he was, but her strengths were all under the surface. Even though she wasn't much older than me, she reminded me of my mom in a lot of ways. Sighing quietly to myself, I turned my eyes from the group and looked out the window. The clouds had moved in, but they weren't thick so the moon was still shining through and creating an eerie glow through the clouds that hid it.

"Harper," Emily said with a light laugh and I turned my eyes to her only to see everyone looking at me. "Come over here. You don't have to stand all the way over there." I slowly made my way over to the bedside, standing next where Sam sat on the bed smiling at me. Jared and Kim stood on the other side of the bed, Jared standing with his arm wrapped around Kim's waist and Kim snuggled into his side as she looked at me with a crooked smile. I gave her a small smile before I turned my eyes back to Sam and gently ran my left forefinger over the forehead of the resting baby boy. Since he was a newborn he didn't really look like either of them yet, but I could already tell that he had Sam's nose and Emily's full lips.

"Do you want to hold him?" Sam asked and I looked up from the baby and at him.

"Can I?" I asked softly and Sam chuckled.

"Sure," he said before he stood. I stepped back a bit so he had room to stand fully before he started to hold the baby out to me. I carefully took the baby into my arms and rested his neck on my arm. He cooed a bit and fussed slightly before he settled down and let out a breath. I smiled down at him as I fixed his blanket with my left hand as I held him with my right.

"He's beautiful," I said through my smile before I looked up from the baby and at Emily and then Sam as he sat back down on the bed next to her and gently pulled her close to him. "So, are you guys going to tell us his name yet or are you waiting?" They laughed and Sam nodded his head.

"Daniel James," he said and I looked down at the little baby boy in my arms.

"Daniel James, huh," I said. "I think I'll call you DJ, Daniel is a bit of a mouthful and you don't look like a Dan or a Danny to me," I whispered to him knowing that the four other people in the room probably heard me because they all chuckled.

"Everyone says 'congratulations' and you'll probably have a handful of visitors tomorrow," came Paul's voice from behind me and I turned around to smile at him. He stopped short when his eyes fell on me and a strange expression came across his face. I couldn't describe the look on his face as he looked at me, but it wasn't an uncomfortable expression. It was warm and his eyes were filled with the same adoration they always were filled with when he looked at me.

"I'm pretty sure that if Abigail didn't have Claire to tend to, she would have been up here ages ago," Emily said, referring to her sister, and I turned away from Paul to look back at Emily who gave me a tired smile before she glanced at her son. I heard Paul walk up behind me and when his heat washed over my back I knew he was right behind me.

"I'll call Quil in the morning," Jared said. "I don't think he'd mind watching Claire so Abigail can come up to the hospital." At Sam's party, Paul told me that Claire was Quil's imprint.

At first I had been freaked out that Quil had imprinted on a little girl, but Paul had been quick to explain that Quil didn't have romantic feelings for Claire. He was more like a protective big brother and would be there for her throughout the stages of her life and when she was old enough it would be up to her whether the friendship they would undoubtedly have would become something more. I had also learned during that conversation that they didn't age so long as they continued to phase into their wolf forms, but once they stopped phasing they would age at a normal rate.

"I know you all are excited for the new baby, but visiting hours ended ages ago and the new Mommy needs to rest and Baby Uley needs to go to the nursery so she can," the nurse said as she walked into the room and stood at the foot of Emily's bed. "Daddy can stay, but the rest of you need to scoot." We all quietly laughed at the stern expression on the older woman's face as she stood there with her hands on her hips fighting the smile that threatened to spoil her serious face.

"She's right," I said as I looked away from the nurse and at Emily. "I should be getting home anyway before Jason has a coronary or something." Emily laughed and I quickly handed DJ to her so she could say good night to her son and the second my hand was to my side, Paul laced the fingers of his left hand with my right and squeezed but before I could look at him Sam spoke.

"Tell Jason that we'll put the Henderson project on hold until Thursday," Sam said and I nodded. "I'll call them in the morning and let them know. They'll understand. They've got four kids." Everyone chuckled while I smiled.

"Sam, do you mind if I borrow your truck to take Harper home?" Paul asked and Sam shook his head before he pulled his keys from his jeans pocket before he handed them off to Paul. "Come on, Harper," Paul said quietly from beside me and I turned my eyes up to him. "Let's get you home." I nodded before I looked back at Sam and Emily.

"I'll see you guys later. Get some rest," I added, looking pointedly at Emily and she smiled at me.

"I will," she promised and Paul and I left while Kim and Jared said good bye to Sam and Emily. We walked in a comfortable silence out of the hospital and to Sam's truck.

"He's such a cute baby isn't he?" I asked him as we walked outside and I moved a little closer to him when the chilly night air washed over me. He let go of my hand to wrap his arm around me and I smiled as I wrapped my right arm around his waist while we continued to Sam's truck.

"He is," he said softly, like he was thinking, and as we reached Sam's truck we came to a stop at the passenger side.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked as I pulled away from him and rested my back against the crookedly parked truck. Sam had obviously been in hurry.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked as he too rested against the truck, but he was only resting his right shoulder against the cold metal and looked down at me.

"Yes," I said as I smiled at him and he sighed quietly.

"I'm just wondering what our kids will look like," he said and I uncrossed my arms as my eyebrows shot up into my hair and my mouth went dry. I cared a lot about Paul, so much so that I was pretty sure that I loved him, but I wasn't ready to tell him that yet; and I certainly wasn't ready to have kids with him.

"Paul, you do know that I am years from even thinking of having children," I said as I pushed myself off of the truck and turned so I was facing him completely. He quickly pushed himself off the truck as well and stepped closer to me.

"I know that, Harper," he said in a rush as he put his hands on my upper arms and shook his head gently. "I just . . . seeing you hold Daniel just made think about it." He moved his hands from my arms to my neck and gently ran his thumbs along my jaw as our eyes locked in the dimly lit parking lot.

"Is that because of . . . you know," I said slowly and carefully just in case there was someone around I couldn't see. He knew what I was talking about because a thoughtful look crossed his face before he shook his head negatively.

"I don't think so," he said as he stilled his thumbs and kept them on my jaw. "I love you, Harper, and I think that it has more to do with the fact that we'll be married and starting a family of our own someday. I know it won't be for a long while yet, but I was only thinking about what they might look like." He laughed quietly before he leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine.

"They'll probably have a lighter complexion than me because you're a pale face," he said teasingly which made me chuckle as he continued, "and they could have your auburn hair and my brown eyes or my black hair and your amazing blue-green eyes. In truth, I really don't care what they look like so long as they're healthy," he paused and lifted his forehead from mine and looked down at me with a smile. "All I know for sure is that if we have a daughter and she's half as beautiful as you are, I'm going to be in a lot of trouble."

I didn't really know what to say, so, I just gave him a small smile. I hadn't really thought about it since we'd only been together for such a short while, but he was right. Eventually we would be married and starting a family, but I wasn't going to be picking out china patterns anytime soon. I was far from ready to take that step, but Paul would wait for me. I decided play along with him so he would know I wasn't upset because I wasn't. I had been caught off guard, but I wasn't upset with him.

"Well, if we have a son and he has an ounce of the charm you seem to have around me, the entire female population in the surrounding area will be in a lot of trouble," I said earning a chuckle from Paul before he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to mine while I raised my hands to rest on his forearms. He pulled away from me far too soon for my liking and I sighed quietly.

"It's getting late and Jason's probably waiting up for you. We need to get you home," he said softly after several seconds of just standing there and looking at each other. I nodded and we reluctantly let go of each other before he unlocked the truck and I climbed in while he walked around to the driver's side. Once we both were settled in the truck, Paul started it up, and started to drive but not before he took my left hand into his right and held it the entire drive to my house.

It didn't seem to take very long to get to my house and I wasn't surprised to see the living room lights on, but the curtains were drawn so I couldn't see in to know exactly where Jason was. Paul parked the truck next to Jason's, but kept the engine running. I looked away from the house and at Paul.

"So, I guess it's time to say good night," he said quietly and I sighed quietly as I unbuckled my seatbelt before I moved closer to him over the bench seat of the truck and took his hand into mine again. A new development in our relationship was that I hated saying good bye to him. Over the last week, whenever we parted, it always made me feel like a piece of me was missing and since I knew his secret I knew why, but that didn't mean I liked it. I hated it and I had a feeling he hated it too.

He looked at me and I raised my right hand to his face, running my fingers across his cheek before I gently gripped the side of his head and pulled his lips down to mine. Paul untwined his fingers from mine and wrapped his arm around my waist so he could pull me closer as he deepened our kiss. It wasn't long before I felt his left hand on my hip and it slide up my waist; and when I felt his thumb brush the underside of my right breast, I pushed his hand down but didn't break our kiss. However, when I pushed his hand away he was quick to release me before he licked his lips and turned away from me, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"I'm sorry, Harper," he said, his voice heavy.

"Paul," I said softly and he turned his head so he was looking at me, but kept his hands on the steering wheel. "It's okay." I moved closer to him and covered his right hand on the steering wheel with mine. "I didn't mean for you to stop kissing me. I just didn't want your hand to go up any higher."

"Which is why we should probably say good night now because I don't think I can control myself at the moment," he said before he looked away from me and I felt his hand tense under mine. I sighed and lowered my hand from his.

"Okay," I whispered. "Good night Paul." I slid across the seat and climbed out of the truck feeling a little rejected, but I knew that he wasn't rejecting me that way. He pushed me away so he wouldn't cross any lines and so I wouldn't feel uncomfortable. However, it hurt all the same. I walked up to the house, with my arms crossed in front of me but before I even reached the porch steps, hot hands grasped my upper arms and turned me around. I gasped quietly as I looked up and in the darkness I could just barely make out Paul's features and the troubled look on his face before his hands moved up to gently hold my face in his hands.

"I love you," he whispered before he kissed me chastely and just as quickly as he had come up to me he was gone and back in the truck before he pulled out of the driveway and was gone. I stood there dumbfounded for a second before I turned around and walked up the steps and into the house in a slight daze. Thankfully, I managed to get myself together before Jason came walking out of the kitchen with a bowl of chips in his hands.

"Hey, I was wondering when you were going to get home," he said before he stuffed a few chips in his mouth and sat down on the sofa. I smiled at him and joined him on the sofa, stealing a few of his chips in the process. He mock glared at me and I laughed as I ate the chips. "How's Emily?"

"Tired, but good otherwise," I said. I knew that Jason had been one of the people Paul had called to give the news to, so, I didn't have to give him all the details. "Sam wanted me to tell you the Henderson project's going to be on hold until Thursday."

"Great," he said with a smile. "I'll be able to get a few chores done around here then." I nodded absently as I took another chip from his bowl, which made him roll his eyes.

"Since you'll be home tomorrow, can I borrow the truck? I want to visit with Emily again tomorrow," I said and he nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "I should have everything I need in the garage. I picked everything up forever ago."

"Thanks," I said before I leaned across the couch and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to head off to bed. Good night," I said as I stood and he smiled at me.

"Night, Harper," he said and I went into the hallway and into my bedroom, closing the door behind me. I got ready for bed, climbed under the covers, and it wasn't long before I fell asleep to dreams filled with a certain boy that managed to put the pieces of my heart back together and held it with warm gentle hands.


	14. Chapter 14

Hey everyone! Sorry it took me almost a week to get this chapter out. My internet's been down since Wednesday and after two and half hours on the phone with my provider today it's finally up and running again. Thank you all for reading, for your reviews, and adds. I hope you all like this chapter. Please let me know what you think! PLEASE READ: There are some mild adult situations in this chapter, but nothing terribly descriptive.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 14

It was the Fourth of July and Jason was spending the day with a few people that he had met in Forks, but I had a feeling he was seeing a girl. He'd taken forever in the bathroom that morning before he finally let me use it and when he came out he was wearing a brand new t-shirt and jeans. I noticed that he had even gotten his hair cut. He'd left shortly after he got dressed but not before he kissed me on the side of the head before he told me to have a nice time with Kim, Emily, and everyone else. I had been a little put off, but I really didn't have a reason to be since it was about time that Jason got a life since I was finally getting one of my own.

Paul was coming to pick me up to take me to Sam and Emily's at one, and since Jason had held himself hostage in the bathroom all morning I had to hurry. I showered and shaved before I walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a large towel and gliding a second one over my wet hair as I walked into my bedroom. Resting on my bed was my bathing suit and a pair of jean shorts and tank top. The weather couldn't have been better for the American summer holiday, and what had me gnawing at my bottom lip was the bathing suit that rested next to my clothes.

I hadn't been in a bathing suit since I was twelve, and the simple emerald colored high cut one piece was brand new. I had Kim and a quick shopping trip to Port Angeles to thank for that. She had wanted me to buy a two piece, but I would _never_ be caught dead in a two piece bathing suit in public. The scar on my face was enough to share with the world. They didn't need to see the scars that rested on my stomach as well. I debated on whether or not I should actually wear my bathing suit since the water was probably a bit too chilly to actually go into. However, if I didn't wear it, Kim would have my head if she didn't see it under my tank top. Sighing quietly to myself I sat the towel I used to dry my hair on the nightstand before I walked over to my dresser and put on my lotion while I glared at the offending suit. I'd wear it, if only to humor Kim.

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Twenty minutes later, I heard Paul's truck pull up to the house. I made quick work of the elastic tie at the end of the braid I had pulled my loose curls into and slid on my flip flops as I tucked my phone and wallet into the back pockets of my jean shorts. I walked through the living room, grabbed my keys from the table by the door, and opened the front door to see Paul already standing on the porch, resting his shoulder against the post with his hands in the pockets of the jeans he wore, and his cocky grin on his face. The grin didn't remain for long as his eyes roamed down my body sending heat to my cheeks as I blushed.

"My eyes are up here, buddy," I said when his eyes lingered on my legs for a bit too long. His dark orbs were quick to snap back to my face as he stood from his leaning position and cleared his throat while he took his hands out of his pockets. I chuckled under my breath before I grabbed my already prepared bag from where I left it on the floor by the door, and walked out onto the porch, closing the door behind me before I locked it tightly.

"Ready?" he questioned as I turned around and I smiled at him.

"Yeah," I said. "Thanks for coming all the way out here to pick me up only to go back to where you came from." I walked closer to him and he took my hand into his before he raised his free hand to my face and ran the back of his knuckles down my right cheek. I couldn't look away from his eyes as a slow smile spread across his face.

"Coming to get you means that I actually get you to myself for a little while," he said as he lowered his hand to his side. "We'll be lucky if we'll get a minute all day." I moved closer to him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

"We'll manage to find a few minutes here or there. When it comes to you I can be pretty sneaky when I want to," I said and he laughed before kissed me again, a little firmer than I had kissed him.

"Come on, let's get going," he said and the two of us started walking down the porch stairs to his truck.

"You know, Jason was in such a rush to leave the house this morning. I think he's seeing someone since he hasn't been home for dinner very often lately and he took longer getting ready today than I did. Has he mentioned anything to you?"

"Not to me, but he has been whistling a lot when we're on site," Paul said with a thoughtful frown when we reached his truck and he opened the passenger door for me.

"Thanks," I said as I let go of his hand and climbed into the truck. He was quickly sitting next to me and smiled as he started the truck. We'd been driving for nearly five minutes before my thoughts were finally getting the better of me. "Why do you think he hasn't mentioned anything to me?"

"Who?" Paul asked with a frown as he glanced at me and then returned his eyes to road.

"Jason," I said. "Why wouldn't he want me to know he was seeing anyone?"

"Harper, we're seeing each other and we haven't told him yet," Paul reasoned and I rolled my eyes.

"That's different because he knows you already, and with everything that's happened I really don't think that he would take kindly to me dating."

"He's going to have to know eventually."

"I know," I said quickly and dismissively, "but the subject of this conversation is not you and me; it's Jason." Paul scoffed quietly, but I ignored it and pressed on. "Why wouldn't he want me to meet the girl he was dating?"

"Our relationship developed quickly because of the imprinting bond, Harper," he said slowly and after a quite minute. "Other relationships that don't have that advantage take time, and since it's obviously new he's just not ready for her to meet you yet. You've been the most important person in his life for the last three years, and I'm going to guess he hasn't been on a date in that long."

"He hasn't," I threw in, which made Paul smile as he drove.

"He probably wants to make sure that the relationship is going to go somewhere before he brings her into your life." I huffed quietly as I turned my eyes away from him and looked out the windshield with a small frown. "What's with the frown?"

"You're right," I said. He laughed and I looked at him. "What?"

"You're frowning because I'm right?" he asked and I smirked.

"It's a rarity," I teased and he snorted.

"Careful now," he said.

"What are you going to do to me if I'm not?" I asked as the truck came to a stop. I hadn't realized we had reached the beach where we were all of us were going to be spending the day and evening together. He put the truck into park and turned off the ignition before he looked at me, his cocky grin back in place. I raised an eyebrow at him and watched him as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Now, what would be the fun in telling you?" he asked slowly before he climbed out of the truck. I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat and blushed at the smile he shot at me through the window. "You coming?" he asked and I let out a heavy breath before I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the truck. I walked to the front of the truck where Paul was quick to take my hand as we walked towards the beach and where everyone was waiting.

We were greeted by a chorus of 'hello' and 'hey' when we reached them and I smiled when I saw Emily sitting on a blanket under the shade of the umbrella with Sam at her side. I knew DJ was with Emily's sister, Abigail, who volunteered to babysit the two and a half week old with her husband while Claire came to the beach with Sam and Emily. Claire was building a sand castle with Quil while the other guys, including Jared, had moved a bit further down the beach to play a game of football. Paul looked down at me and I laughed as I gently pushed at him.

"Go on," I said and he smiled. He leaned down and kissed me before he slipped away to join the guys. I laughed and shook my head as I sat down next to Kim.

"Were you deserted too?" she asked and I smiled and shrugged before I pulled my braid over my shoulder and played with the end of it for a second before Emily, Sam, Kim, and I started talking about completely random things and what the day held in store.

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We'd been on the beach for well over four hours and everyone had eaten and the guys had started up another football game, this time with Sam and Quil joining them. Claire was taking a nap on the blanket next to Emily who was reading and glancing at the guys every now and then. I was settled under the shade of the umbrella with Emily and Claire since I the sun was starting to be too much for me. Kim was settled next to me, but sitting in the sun. She let out a sigh before she turned slightly and looked behind us. Suddenly she grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet.

"Come on, we're going in the water," she said and I frowned.

"What? Now?" I asked and she laughed as she nodded and pulled off her t-shirt to reveal the top of her yellow and white striped bikini.

"Yes, now," she said before she started to pull off her jeans. I slowly looked towards the guys, but thankfully they weren't looking our way, and I took a deep breath before I took off my tank top and folded it, placing it nest to Kim's t-shirt that she had tossed on the log.

"Come on," she said again with a laugh and I sighed heavily.

"All right, all right," I said before I took off my flip flops and shimmied out of my jean shorts. I felt far too exposed, but Kim wasn't going to allow me a second to be self-conscious.

She grabbed my hand and let out a laugh before she pulled me towards the water. I couldn't help but laugh as she pulled me along and when we hit the water, I let out a scream as the cool water crashed against my body. Kim just laughed and splashed at me and I was quick to retaliate. We had a small war going until an unexpected wave crashed against us, sending us both under. I came up spluttering as I pushed some of the loose strands of hair that plastered to my face. Kim was laughing and I splashed at her again, which only made her laugh harder.

"That's not funny!" I called, but I couldn't stop the laugh that erupted from my lips. Another wave hit us, but that time we were ready for it and we started our splashing war again.

"Hey!" a deep voice shouted and we looked towards the beach to see Jared and Paul standing at the water's edge with their hands on their waists and smiles on their lips. "What are you two doing?" asked Jared and Kim laughed as she turned fully to face her husband.

"Well, you two deserted us again to play with the guys, so, we're having some fun of our own," she said. We were about twelve feet from the shore and when I saw Jared and Paul glance at each other, I knew it was only going to be a second before Kim and I were no longer horsing around by ourselves. I wasn't disappointed when after a blink of an eye; Paul's arms were around my waist and pulling me under the water with him.

Thanks to the surprise of the attack, I came up spluttering again and smacked at his chest as I coughed up the bit of salt water I swallowed and he chuckled. We'd moved a bit further away from the shore and somehow ended up further away from Kim and Jared who looked to be talking quietly as Kim had her arms wrapped around Jared's neck and Jared held her close. Paul was holding me in a similar fashion and I looked up at him before I rested my hands on his broad shoulders. The water had been a bit chilly, but the heat emanating from Paul's body once again warmed away the chill from my body.

"Trying to drown me?" I asked once I caught my breath and he shook his head negatively.

"No," he said with a smile as his right hand slid up my back while his left remained wrapped around my waist. His fingers brushed against my bareback and I involuntarily shivered and he pressed me closer to him obviously thinking I was cold while his right hand rested on the back of my neck, under my still braided hair. "So, are you having a nice time?" he asked and I shrugged as I tried to calm my rapidly beating heart.

"Yeah," I said softly. "Kim was bored so she dragged me off into the water with her."

"I didn't know you were wearing a suit under your clothes, otherwise I would have dragged you into the water a while ago," he said as his right hand gently rubbed the back of my neck. I stifled a groan at the feel of his strong fingers and swallowed the lump in my throat. "Green's a great color on you," he whispered before he leaned into me and kissed me as he pressed my body flush against his.

Instinct seemed to take over as the kiss deepened and I found myself wrapping my legs around his waist as my hands found their way to the back of his head and into his hair. His breathed heavily out his nose before his tongue gently slid across my lower lip and I opened my mouth to his without question. My heart was pounding and my stomach tightened as my entire being screamed for Paul. His left hand cupped my backside under the water, and squeezed the soft flesh in his hand.

My hips seemed to grind against his on their own accord and a shock wave ripped through me at the feel of him through his rough jeans against me. Paul growled as he ripped his lips from mine and found my neck as he forced my hips even tighter against his with his left hand that remained on my backside. My hands left his hair and gripped his shoulders tightly, my nails digging into his flesh but not breaking the skin, as the shock wave came back. My left hand remained on his shoulder while my right found the back of his head again as I tilted my head to the side so his lips had better access to my neck as he continued his assault there.

"Paul," I whimpered as my body started to feel like it was on fire from friction his body was making against mine. His lips left my neck and found mine again in time to stifle the cry that nearly escaped my lips as he dug his hips even harder into mine. My eyes were closed but I was blinded by an unseen light as my body was overwhelmed by the now familiar shock waves and shook against his. When the world stopped spinning and I stopped shaking, my limbs felt like jelly and I was thankful that Paul was holding onto me because I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from drowning. Paul slowly broke our kiss, and when he did we both were panting and trying to catch our breath.

"Harper?" he questioned in a whisper, but his voice was rough. I opened my eyes, still panting slightly, to see him looking at me with a strange and satisfied looking smile on his face. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I breathed before I slowly started to smile back. However, I tensed when I realized what it was that we had just done and what I had just experienced. "Oh," I said before I quickly turned my head to where I knew the others were. Kim and Jared weren't in the water anymore, and they had joined the others on the beach. It didn't look like they had seen what had happened, but I wasn't so sure about that fact. Just because they weren't looking our way at that moment didn't mean they hadn't.

"They didn't see anything," Paul whispered into my ear and I quickly turned my eyes back to his, blushing deeply as I licked my lips.

"You sure?" I asked and he smiled.

"Yeah," he said. "The rocks provided us some cover." He gestured with his head and it was then that I noticed the large rocks along the shoreline that partially blocked where we stood in the water. It was hard for me to believe that not long ago I was pushing Paul's hand away from my breast because I had basically just dry humped him with our friends not twenty feet from where were stood in the water.

"I can't believe we just did that," I said as I rested my forehead against his shoulder. My lower half was still pressed tightly to his and I could feel him still straining against his jeans.

"Honestly, I can't either," he said as he finally removed his hand from my backside. As I relaxed, I felt his body tense and I knew what he was about to say before he even said it. "Harper, I didn't mean . . .," he trailed off and I shook my head as I raised it from his shoulder.

"Don't. I know you would have stopped if I told you to, and I didn't," I said and he sighed. "You have nothing to be sorry for. If anyone should be sorry, I should be." He frowned at those words, but I continued before he could say anything else. "I can tell that I'm the only one that really got anything from that." I blushed at what I said, but I knew it was the truth. He smiled then and slid both his hands up and down my back.

"No you aren't," he said as he shook his head. "I'm going to enjoy reliving those sounds you were making and the look on your face later tonight." My blush only deepened as he leaned in and kissed me chastely. I laughed against his lips when his fingers gently tickled my side. I threw my arms around his shoulders and deepened the kiss as he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me slightly from the water, never breaking our kiss.

"Harper!" a voice bellowed and I stiffened as I ripped my lips from Paul's and turned to look at the beach to see Jason standing there, letting go of the hand of a blonde woman, and even from the distance we were from the shore I could see the murder in his eyes.

"Fuck," Paul whispered and I couldn't have agreed more.


	15. Chapter 15

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for all your reviews and adds. It means a lot to me to know that you guys are enjoying the story so far. I'm not so sure about this chapter but I hope you guys like it. I actually wrote it in about four hours all together, and I hope it isn't crap. Please let me know what you think and thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 15

I slowly unwrapped my legs from around Paul, but he didn't let me go. I could see Jason's chest rising and falling rapidly as Jared and Sam were at his side and talking to him. Whatever they were saying obviously wasn't working. I swallowed hard and my grip on Paul's shoulders tightened while his arms tightened their hold on me as he sighed heavily.

"We can't sit out here for forever, Harper," Paul whispered and I finally looked away from my brother and at Paul. "I told you that we should have told him."

"I know," I said before I took a deep breath and tried to get my thoughts together. He raised his right hand from my back and pulled my braid over my shoulder so he fell down my back instead. "I didn't think he'd be coming out here. He made it seem like he was going to be hanging out somewhere else. Why is he here?"

"I don't know, but let's just get it over with, huh?" he asked and I bit my lip. The high from our previous activities was long gone and the fear of what Jason was going to do the second Paul and I reached the shore took precedence. "It'll be okay," he assured me before we started walking to the shore, holding each other's hands. When we reached the sand, Jason started for us with Jared and Sam hot on his heels. We stopped walking and while we waited for Jason to reach us, Paul pulled me closer to him and wrapped his right arm around me protectively.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to my sister?" Jason asked as he roughly grabbed my arm and pulled me out of Paul's grip. I was surprised he could get me away from Paul, but I had a feeling Paul let me go because he didn't want me to get hurt. However, Jason's grip was tight and I stumbled, which made me nearly fall and caused his grip on me to only tighten.

"Jason, you're hurting me," I shouted as I pushed against him and he turned his glare from Paul to me. I had never seen Jason as angry as he was that very moment and in all honesty, it scared the crap out of me. "Let me go," I managed and he loosened his grip on my arm, but didn't let me go.

"No," he said as he shook his head and looked back at Paul. "Are you going to answer my question?" Jason sneered. My eyes followed his and Paul was scowling as his shoulders and hands shook. I knew what that shaking would lead up to if he didn't get his anger in check, and thankfully Sam was quick to Paul's side.

"Paul, calm down," Sam ordered quietly as he grabbed Paul's left arm in pretty much the same fashion Jason gripped mine.

"I wasn't doing anything to her," Paul said through clenched teeth as his eyes flickered from Jason to me and back to Jason again. He was angry that Jason had grabbed me so roughly, that Jason had hurt me even though it had been unintentional.

"Then what was it I saw you doing in the water? You had your grubby hands all over her, forcing her to you," Jason said, his voice laden with obvious disgust, and I bristled at my brother's accusatory words and looked at him with wide eyes. He thought that Paul was assaulting me. I could hear Paul's growl before the rest of the guys came up to us. All of them were on edge and ready to get us out of the way in case Paul lost control.

"Jason," I said tightly, but Jason didn't look at me. "Jason!" I said as I smacked his chest hard with my free hand and he turned his blue-green eyes to mine. "We were kissing and we're allowed to do that because we're together."

"What?" Jason asked as he looked from me to Paul and then back to me.

"Paul and I have been seeing each other for the last couple of weeks," I said. The anger seemed to melt from his eyes, but it was still simmering there.

"You mean . . . he wasn't forcing you?" Jason asked the question like he didn't believe it, and I sighed quietly.

"You think I'd do that?" Paul snarled as he took half a step closer to Jason and me, but Sam held him back. I turned my eyes to Paul. Kim and Emily told me that on the occasions that Sam or Jared got a little riled up, they were the only ones that would be able to calm the guys down. Kim figured it was something to do with the whole imprint thing, so, I decided to give it my best shot so he wouldn't transform into a giant wolf in front of my brother and his blonde girlfriend who stood further down the beach with Emily and Kim. That would definitely be harder to explain than Paul and I dating.

"Paul," I said sharply and he turned his angry brown eyes to me. "Take a deep breath and relax. It's okay." I watched him for a second as he took a deep breath through his nose and then settled back next to Sam before I looked back at Jason. Jason let out a heavy sigh before he let go of my arm and ran his hands through his hair. I rubbed at my sore arm while Jason lowered his hands and looked at Paul, the anger back in his eyes.

"You've been seeing my sister behind my back and weren't man enough to tell me," Jason said. "How could you work with me every day and not say anything?"

"She asked me not to," Paul said tightly, but I kept my eyes on Jason.

"Jason, Paul wanted to tell you, but I said we should wait. Don't be mad at him because of something I asked him to do," I said as I still rubbed my arm and Jason looked back at me.

"When were you going to tell me?" he asked and I shrugged, which made his eyes narrow. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

"Of course," I said. "I just didn't know how."

"You should have told me the second he started feeding you lines. I work with him," Jason said before he looked back at Paul. "I trusted you and you do this. She's seventeen, Paul, and she's been through more than you can even think of. You shouldn't even be thinking of her that way." I frowned and was confused by what he was saying, so, I looked at Paul. Judging by the stone like look on his face, Paul knew what Jason was getting at. "You touch my sister again, and I'll kill you. She doesn't need you breaking her down when she's only just got herself back together." Jason grabbed my arm again and started to walk away before I let out a cry of pain and wretched my arm from his grip. I wrapped my left hand around my throbbing arm and looked at my brother.

"Stop!" I said. "I'm not a rag doll so stop pulling on me like I am one!" Jason scowled at me and took a deep breath before his nose before he turned to face me as I rubbed at my arm again. "Paul didn't feed me any lines or do anything to make you not trust him. It's because of Paul and everyone here that I'm better, Jason, can't you see that? It's because of them that I'm not afraid to take out the trash or walk down to the mailbox anymore. It took us coming here and me meeting them to figure it all out. I know now that not every guy is going to do what_ he_ did to me, and it wasn't my fault. I'm not as broken as I thought I was."

Jason nervously glanced at Sam, Paul, and Jared, who had joined Sam at Paul's side. The others were close by, and I knew that they knew my secret. Jared had talked to me about it a few days after everything was out in the open. He explained the whole thought and memory sharing thing between the pack and how Paul wasn't the greatest at keeping things to himself just yet. I had been embarrassed at first, but Jared had promised that none of the guys thought any different of me. He had said that my past only caused them to want to protect me just as much as Paul did. Just like Seth had said, I was family and no one was going to hurt their family.

"They know, Jason," I said and his eyes widened. "I told Paul when we started seeing each other so he knew what he was getting himself into, and guess what? He didn't run away. He doesn't think I'm dirty or damaged. He cares about me as much as you do and he won't ever let anything happen to me."

"And the others? Why'd you tell them?" Jason asked, sounding more shocked than angry, but his tone was tight, so, I knew he was still upset. I took a deep breath and held Jason's gaze. I didn't actually say the words to the rest of the group, but technically I told them through Paul and I had my answer before I could really even think about it.

"Because they're my friends and I trust them," I said. I heard quick footfalls on the sand behind me before I felt Paul's hands on my waist as he gently pulled me back against his warm body. I hadn't realized until then that I had started shivering thanks to cool breeze that was blowing in off the water. The rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins at being caught by Jason had stopped me from noticing the cold and Paul's warmth was welcome against my chilled skin; so much so that I sank against his body trying to take in as much of his heat as I could. Jason tensed as he looked above my head and at Paul's face and I noticed his fists clenched at his sides.

"I don't know what you're playing at, Paul, but I -," Jason started, but Paul interrupted.

"I'm not playing at anything, Jason, I swear," Paul said, the deepness of his voice made his chest rumble slightly against my back and I caught myself leaning even further into him. "I care about her and I'd rather chop off my own arm before I did anything to hurt her." He took a deep breath above my head and his heated breath washed over me as he let it out through his mouth. "If that guy wasn't already in prison, I'd hunt him down and kill him myself." The venom in his tone was enough to know the sincerity of his words, and I put my left hand over his that rested on my waist to let him know that it was okay.

Jason glanced down at my hand on Paul's before he sighed heavily and looked up at Paul. He just stared for several breathless seconds while the tension in the air around us built to the point where it was practically tangible. I realized that I had hurt Jason by not telling him about my budding relationship with Paul, but I was still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing myself. However, all I could do was hope that Jason wouldn't stop us from seeing each other. The ache that had been in my chest had been hard to deal with the first time around; I didn't think that I would survive it again. My grip on Paul's hand tightened and his grip tightened on my waist. I knew he was holding Jason's gaze, and he wasn't going to waiver.

"I'm not happy about this, not one bit, but I'm not going to stop you two from seeing each other," Jason said before he looked from Paul's face to mine. "I'm going to keep a closer eye on things now that I know, and you're going to tell me where you're going, who will be there, you'll call me every hour your gone, and you'll be home by curfew. There will be no more secrets and no more lies, is that understood?" I nodded before I caught a flash of gold in the corner of my eye that reminded me of the woman Jason had brought to with him to the beach.

"Okay, there will be no more secrets between us right?" I asked and he nodded his head, his eyes hard on mine. "All right, when were you going to tell me about her?" I said as I let go of my arm and gestured towards the blonde woman that remained with Emily and Kim. Jason turned around as the guys behind him parted so he could see the blonde looking on with her arms crossed over her chest and concern etched across her pretty features. Whoever she was, it was obvious she was worried that Jason was about to get jumped by the guys even though I could see that Emily and Kim were reassuring her that no one was going to get hurt. I raised an eyebrow when Jason looked back at me and he had the grace to blush before he cleared his throat.

"That would be Clarissa," he said. I could tell by his body language that Jason didn't like the fact that the tables were turned on him.

"So, when were you going to tell me you were seeing someone?" I asked.

"When I knew it was going to be more than a few casual dates," Jason said snippily.

"Hey, there's no need to get snippy. Don't you think you're being a bit of a hypocrite by yelling at me for not telling you about Paul when you were obviously keeping your relationship with her a secret?" I asked.

"That's different, Harper," he said and my eyebrow arched again.

"How?" I questioned.

"For three years, Harper, I wondered if you were ever going to live a normal life. When you started having one, you told me to go and get one of my own. I did, so, I'd appreciate it if you'd just accept my answer." I snapped my mouth shut at those words and Jason and I just stared at each other before I stepped away from Paul and walked over to Jason. I threw my arms around my brother's shoulders and he sighed heavily before he hugged me back.

"I'm going to guess by the hug fest that all is well in the land of Cavanaugh?" Quil asked and Jason and I laughed as we pulled apart and looked at the guys who were all looking at us expectantly.

"Yeah, all is well," I said back and they all let out a collective sigh of relief before Paul walked over to me and took my hand into his. Jason looked at Paul while everyone else started back up the beach.

"I'm putting my trust in you, Paul," Jason said, "and if you hurt her, I promise I won't be very forgiving. I don't care if you are the size of a Buick." I choked out a laugh and looked up at Paul who was fighting the grin from completely forming on his face. "Understand?"

"I understand," Paul said, his smiling winning just a bit.

"Okay, now that everybody understands everybody; how about we all head back to the group and you can introduce us to Clarissa?" I asked as I looked from Paul to Jason. Jason cleared his throat again and he blushed once more.

"Right," he said. "She's probably scared out of her mind since she just witnessed this whole thing." We started walking towards the others who were all introducing themselves to an overwhelmed looking Clarissa.

"I think she was more worried that you were going to get hurt," I said and Jason looked at me briefly before he turned his eyes ahead once more. As we walked, I took the moment to study the woman that seemed to capture my brother's eye.

She was tall compared to Kim, but I was also tall compared to Kim, and she had a slender build. The sundress she wore accented the slight contours of her body and her hair was long and hung straight down her back to her shoulder blades. She was very pretty with fine feminine features and as we drew closer I noticed that her eyes were brown and lined by thick black lashes. If she was wearing makeup, I couldn't tell, but she didn't need it. Her skin was flawless. I'd never seen her before, but that didn't mean much since I hadn't spent much of my time in Forks actually in Forks. I spent my days either in the house or on the reservation with the others. Jason smiled at her as he walked over to her and took her hand into his. We came to a stop and I looked up at Paul.

"Paul," I whispered while Jason talked to Clarissa and everyone else. Paul looked down at me, his eyes scanning my face before settling quickly on my eyes. "Could you get me my towel from my bag, please?" I asked and he nodded before he kissed my temple and walked over to my bag where it sat on the blanket under the umbrella.

"Harper," Jason said and I looked away from where Paul had squatted down to dig through my bag and at my brother. The others had scattered from where we stood; Quil was tending to Claire who had woken up from her nap while Sam, Emily, and Kim were cleaning up the remnants of our meal and packing everything away; and the rest of the guys had resumed their football game down three players. "This is my girlfriend, Clarissa." Paul came back to me then and wrapped the large beach towel around my shoulders, his large hands rubbing my arms through the thick cotton fabric. I hissed and winced a bit as his hand rubbed against my still throbbing left arm, but I forced a smile on my face as I looked at Clarissa and pulled the towel a little tighter around my still chilled body. Now that we were close to her, I noticed she was about my height and I assumed she was around Jason's age.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Harper," Clarissa said. Her voice was very soft, sweet, and, to my surprise, laced with a gentle southern twang. "Jason's told me so much about you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Clarissa, and I wish I could say the same," I said. "Jason didn't tell me he was seeing anyone, but it's good to know when he was going out he wasn't sitting at a bar drinking alone." Clarissa laughed lightly as she laced her arm with Jason's and looked up at him before she looked back at me. Paul's hands had settled on my upper waist and when I heard him chuckle I thought it would be only polite to introduce him to Clarissa. "The big brute behind me is my boyfriend, Paul," I said as I nudged my head back and gently hit his shoulder with the back of my head. His grip tightened on my waist and he pulled me closer to him. That was the first time, out loud anyway, that I had referred to Paul as my boyfriend.

"Judging by everything that just happened, I'm going to venture a guess that Jason found out you two were dating today, huh?" she asked and I nodded, a sheepish smile on my lips. "Well, it looks like today was full of surprises for everyone."

"Yeah, you could say that," Jason said. The air around the four of us got awkward when no one really said anything else. Clarissa seemed like a nice enough girl, but I wasn't exactly sure about her yet.

"Jason, are you and Clarissa hungry?" Emily called, popping the awkward bubble around us and drawing all of our eyes to her. "Surprisingly, we've got a few leftovers. It's not much, but enough to satisfy an empty stomach."

"I could eat," Clarissa said and I looked at her to find her smiling at Emily before she lowered her hand from Jason's elbow to his hand and the pair made their way over to where Emily stood with a smile on her face. I let out a heavy breath I hadn't realized I had been holding before I slumped against Paul's broad chest.

"How about you throw your clothes on and the two of us get out of here?" Paul whispered into the top of my head before he placed a coy and subtle kiss on my still wet hair. I turned around as he wrapped his arms around me completely and looked up at him.

"Where are we going to go?" I asked and he shrugged.

"I don't know, but it's gotten a little crowded around here don't you think?" he whispered and I glanced over to where Jason and Clarissa stood, plates in hand as they talked with Sam, Emily, and Kim. Jason was glancing over to where Paul and I stood, and I knew that despite his words, Jason was worried. He was worried that I was going to get hurt, and that I wouldn't recover from it. I returned my eyes to Paul and smiled up at him as I rested my hands against his chest.

"Okay, but how about we just walk up the beach for a while? If we leave, Jason will probably throw a fit," I said and he smiled.

"All right," he said and I pulled away from him before I walked over to the blanket. I dried myself off as best I could and pulled on my jean shorts and tank top. I didn't put my sandals back on because my feet were covered in sand and we'd be walking along the beach. I'd just end up taking them off. I looked over at Paul and saw him talking to Jared as he tugged his t-shirt back on. I smiled at them when they looked my way before I walked over to where Jason stood and tapped his shoulder. He turned and looked at me and I gestured behind me.

"Paul and I are going to walk along the beach," I said. "We won't be gone long or go too far, so, don't worry." Jason let a breath out of his nose before he nodded. I smiled at him and kissed his cheek before I turned around and walked back over to Paul. He took my hand into his and the two of us started walking along the beach.


	16. Chapter 16

Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds! I'm really glad everyone liked the last chapter. I hope you guys like this one as well. Please let me know what you think and be sure to read the note at the end of the chapter! Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 16

We'd been walking in a comfortable silence for about fifteen minutes before Paul tugged on my hand and led me over to a cove that a small cluster of large rocks made. We were hidden from prying eyes but we could still had a breathtaking view of the water, and as I settled myself on the sand in between Paul's outstretched legs he pulled me flush against him, wrapping his arms around me. I sighed contentedly against him before I rested my head against his shoulder.

The silence between us continued and despite being tucked tightly against Paul my mind was in a million different places. However, my thoughts kept finding their way back to the moments in the water with Paul before Jason and Clarissa showed up. Being that close to him and the feeling of his hands all over my body still made my skin tingle, but it made me nervous at the same time. My experience in the intimacy department was not good, not good at all, but now that new memory had been made. Paul's gentle yet firm caresses and the feel of his soft yielding lips against my skin covered up the memories of the hard and rough grasps and chapped lips that bit at me.

The memories that had haunted me for what felt like a lifetime could easily be tucked away into a lead box and by the sure and strong hands of the man that sat holding me they were tossed into the depths of the deepest ocean, never to resurface. As I sat there, warm in his arms I finally realized what I had known to be true all along but had been too scared to admit it to even myself. I loved him. I loved him with every fiber of my being, and there was no part of me that was willing to deny it anymore. We'd known each other for such a short time, but it was real. It was so very real. He was brave enough to say those three words to me, and the more I thought about it the more courage I gained and the desire to say them back to him grew.

"So, do you want to talk about it?" Paul asked and I tilted my head so I could look at his face, only he was looking out over the water.

"About what?" I asked.

"I think you know what I mean," he said as he licked his lips and kept his eyes out on the water. I figured he meant Jason and what I thought was really going to happen once Jason's initial anger blew over.

"Well," I said with a soft sigh and a pause, "Jason will be angry for a while, but he's not going to do anything," I said as I turned my head to rest my cheek against him. I focused my eyes on the large rock that rested not far from where we sat. "He won't stop us from seeing each other and if he does, we'll figure something out."

"I know, but that wasn't what I meant," he said softly and I looked up at him again to find him looking down at me. "I meant whatever it is that's bothering you. You haven't said a word since we left the others and that was almost a half an hour ago. Is something wrong?"

"No, why would you think something was wrong?" I asked and he shrugged his shoulders, jostling my head a bit as he did so.

"I don't know, you just . . . I can't help but feel like something's not right," he said. "You're not upset about . . . about what happened in the water are you? If you are, Harper, I'm sorry," he said as his arms loosened from around me and he started to lean back away from me but I quickly turned around so I was sitting on my knees in between his legs. I caught his face in my hands and shook my head feverishly as I looked into his eyes.

"No, Paul, I'm not upset," I said. "We talked about that already, remember?"

"I know," he breathed before he raised his hands from my waist to my wrists. "But I can't help but feel I pushed you too far. That you weren't ready for that."

"Did I stop you?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, practically echoing my words from earlier.

"No, but-," he started but I interrupted. I knew then that I needed to make him understand what I felt and I needed to tell him what I was thinking.

"No 'buts,' Paul," I said. "You . . . gosh you have no idea what that was like for me. Feeling you pressed against me, feeling your hands against my skin, and feeling how your body reacted to mine; it all made me feel desirable and attractive. Beautiful even." My voice sounded strange, almost breathy, to my ears and I saw Paul swallow hard when I shifted closer to him. I ran my thumbs along his jaw line as my hands settled on his neck.

"You are beautiful, Harper," he said, his voice rough and deeper than usual, as he moved his hands from my wrists to my hips and pulled my lower half flush against his washboard stomach. His body heat seeped through his t-shirt and through my slightly damp clothes and swimsuit. I held back the sigh that threatened to escape my lips and held his gaze. I didn't want to lose my nerve and if I looked away from him, I felt I would.

"Because of you, those dark memories are replaced by those feelings." I sighed heavily and closed my eyes before I rested my forehead against his. "It's like I can still feel you against me, and you're making me tingle all over," I whispered as our noses touched and as my lips hovered not far from his. He growled softly as his firm grip on my hips tightened and he turned his head against mine before captured my lips with his. "Paul, I need to tell you something," I said after I managed to pull away from his intense kiss that left both of us panting. He opened his eyes and looked at me.

"What is it?" he asked, sounding just as breathlessly as I did.

"I love you," I said, my hands resting on his shoulders. I watched as the smile on his face slowly built up to the blindingly beautiful smile that he seemed to only reserve for me.

"Really?" he asked. I laughed, my nervousness gone, and I rolled my eyes.

"Duh," I said as I gently shook my head and turned my palms up on his shoulders. He chuckled before he leaned into me and kissed me chastely. My hands found his hair as I sighed against his lips and eagerly returned his kiss until he pulled his lips from mine.

"I love you too, Harper," he said and I smiled at him before I slid my right hand to the side of his face.

"I know you do," I said softly through my smile. "Now less talking and more kissing." He laughed loudly before I covered his lips with mine and my right hand slid across his cheek and rested on the back of his neck. After several bliss filled seconds, I moved my hands to his chest and gently pushed against him. Slowly, he lowered himself back on to sand covered ground behind him. I shifted my body so I was straddling his waist because if I hadn't I would have ended up lying on top of him.

Paul's hands slid up from my hips to my upper waist before I felt his right hand tug at my hair. His left hand left my body and I could feel him playing with my hair while we kissed. It wasn't long before I felt the braid loosen and my damp waves were soon falling over my shoulders and curtaining our joined faces from the world around us. Paul then pushed his right hand through my hair and knotted his fingers in my hair at the back of my head while his left hand slid down my back and over my hips before his hand gripped the back of my left thigh. Tugging on my hair, he pulled my lips from his before he trailed his lips along my jaw and to my neck while is left hand massaged the back of my thigh. Between his kisses and nips along my neck and the feel of his hot calloused hand on my skin, the tingles started to spread through my body again.

"Paul," I whispered as I closed my eyes, licked my lips, and gripped his t-shirt tightly in my hands.

"Hmm?" he asked as his lips glided effortlessly across the skin of my neck before he nipped at my ear. I gasped quietly before I bit my lip and let out a heavy breath through my nose.

"I . . .," I started but couldn't get the words out because he returned his kisses to my lips again. It didn't matter, I forgot what I was going to say anyway.

I moaned against his lips before I suddenly found myself lying back on the sand with Paul hovering above me and settled in between my legs. While our lips continued their battle my hands, with a mind of their own, moved to the hem of his t-shirt and started to pull it up. Our kiss broke long enough for him to free his body of his shirt. I smiled up at him as I slid my hands down his shoulders and his chest. He smiled back before he started to lean back down, but he hesitated and stopped. He hovered above me by supporting his upper body with his left arm as he looked down at me.

Hey, what's wrong?" I asked as I moved my right hand to the side of his face.

"We've got to stop," he said and I frowned. He moved away from me and stood before he walked over to where he had tossed his t-shirt and picked up the cotton fabric from the sand. My frown only deepened as I sat up on my elbows and watched him as he shook the sand from his shirt. His back was to me and his muscles were tight as he looked down at his hands.

"You want me don't you?" I asked and he turned around to face me.

"Of course I do," he said before he walked back over to where I laid and kneeled down next to me. "More than you can even imagine."

"Then why do we have to stop?" I asked as I sat up completely, never looking away from his eyes. I couldn't believe what I was saying, but being with him just felt right and if the actual act with Paul was anything like our session in the water, than I didn't want to stop.

"Because I don't want it to be here and like this," he said as he reached out and took my right hand into his. "I want it to be special."

"Okay," I said with a small smile that he easily returned.

"Plus, with all this sand it wouldn't be very comfortable," he reasoned and I laughed, which made him chuckle before he let go of my hand and tugged his shirt back on over his head. He sat back down next to me and pulled me close to his side as he adjusted himself in his jeans. I pretended not to notice as he wrapped his left arm around my shoulders and I snuggled into his side. "So, are you going to tell me what you were thinking about?" he asked after several silent seconds and I giggled before I looked at him and he looked at me with a smile.

"I already answered you," I said and he furrowed his brow, but his smile remained on his lips.

"When?" he asked and I smiled.

"When I told you that I love you," I said softly. "I was thinking about everything that happened today and I finally admitted it to myself that I am in love with you. I realized that I was too scared to admit it, but I didn't have a reason to be. After all, you love me back," I said and he smiled at me. He leaned into me and kissed me chastely.

"That I do," he whispered and I grinned before I turned my eyes back to the water and rested my head against his shoulder. Best Fourth of July ever. No doubt about it.

* * *

_Eight Weeks Later_

Paul's and my relationship had been going along rather well. We still hadn't slept together, but after that day on the beach there really was no rush. At least, Paul didn't pressure me and our rather heavy make out sessions seemed to satisfy both of us. I had no complaints except for one thing. I really didn't like Clarissa. Even though Jason was obviously head over heels for her, I didn't trust her.

She knew our parents were gone, but Jason didn't give her the details and I was glad he didn't. I asked him not to tell her about what had happened to me, and thankfully he agreed. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something about her that just rubbed me the wrong way. Paul didn't like her either and he got the same feeling I did, but Jason was happy and that was all that really mattered anyway.

It was my first day at Forks High School and I was standing nervously in front of the mirror above my dresser looking at my reflection with uncertainty. I was dressed in a warm black sweater since the air had grown cool and a pair of dark wash jeans. I decided to wear my hair down and I thought I looked nice, but I wasn't sure how the day was going to go. A knock sounded on my bedroom door before the door opened and I turned around to see Jason smiling at me.

"You're going to be late if you don't get a move on," he said. "You need to check in at the office and everything this morning." I nodded and grabbed my back pack from my bed before I sighed quietly.

"You sure you can't home school me again for my last year?" I asked and he laughed and shook his head.

"No can do, kid," he said and I made a face at him, which only made him laugh again. "Relax, Harper, I'm sure you'll have a good day. If you get a chance, stop in the library and say hi to Clarissa, I'm sure she'd like to see you."

"Sure," I said with a forced smile and mentally vowing to stay as far away from the library as I could. Clarissa was Forks High School's librarian.

"Here," he said as he held out a small ring of keys to me before he tossed them in my direction. I frowned and quickly caught the small ring of keys. I looked up from the keys in my hand and at Jason's smiling face. "Come on," he gestured with his head and left the doorway. Still frowning, I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder and followed the path Jason had just taken. He was waiting for me at the front door and when I drew closer he went outside. I followed only to stop short at the top of the porch steps when I saw the ancient looking truck sitting next to Jason's.

"What's that?" I asked with a frown and he laughed. I looked at him and where he stood at the base of the stairs with a smile on his face.

"It's your truck," he said. "I bought it off of Chief Swan a couple of weeks ago. It used to belong to his daughter. She's not much older than you, but she's married and hasn't a use for it. It ran like crap but with some help from Jacob, Embry, and Quil we got it running pretty good. It can't really go over fifty-five, but you don't have a reason to be speeding anyway."

I officially had had my license for all of four weeks, and he trusted me with a vehicle. Granted, the truck looked like it had seen better days and it was a hideous orange color, but I wasn't going to complain. It would get me from point a to point b, and I was grateful for it.

"Thanks, Jason," I said with a smile before I rushed down the stairs and hugged him tight. Now Paul didn't have to always drive to the house to pick me up for our dates. I could go to him. Jason hugged me back and laughed.

"You're welcome, Harper," he said. "Now, get going. You don't want to be late." He gently pushed me away and I smiled at him before I turned and made my way over to the truck.

When I climbed in, I saw it was a stick shift, which made me laugh. I knew then why Jason was so insistent that I learned how to drive a stick. He had already bought the truck and was fixing it while I was taking my driving lessons. I put my backpack on the passenger side of the bench seat and buckled my seatbelt before I started up the truck. It roared to life and soon I was on my way to school with my forgotten nerves back in full force.

* * *

The secretary in the office had been nice as she handed me my schedule and locker assignment. I probably wasn't even going to use the locker, but I thanked her anyway before I consulted the map in my hands to figure out the best routes to take during the day. Unfortunately, I hadn't realized that I was standing in the middle of the hallway during my review of the map and it wasn't until someone ran right into me that I noticed. My papers and small binder went flying out of my hands and I nearly fell to the ground, but whoever ran into me had quick reflexes and I found myself pressed close to a broad shouldered figure.

"Sorry, I should have been watching where I was going," a deep voice said and I shook my head as I pulled away from him and started to pick up my things.

"It's my fault really," I said. "I was standing in the middle of the hall."

"Let me help," he said as he gathered up the few papers that I hadn't grabbed yet. We stood up and I finally looked at him then as I took the papers out of his hands. He was about two or three inches taller than me, with shaggy dirty blonde hair, and soft green eyes. I suppose he would be considered good looking, but I was biased towards a certain Quileute boy that had my heart. I noticed his letterman jacket and it made sense that he played sports. He looked like he was the 'it boy' on campus.

"Thank you," I said with a small smile and he just looked at me for a beat before he smiled.

"I'm Trevor Mallory," he said through his smile.

"Harper Cavanaugh," I said and his smiled widened.

"So, you're Jason's sister," he said and I frowned, confused as to how he knew my brother.

"How-," I started but he interrupted.

"Clarissa's my cousin," he said as he gestured with his hands. "She moved up here a few years ago when my sister went off to college. Change of scenery, I guess. Why she wanted to leave Austin, Texas for Forks, I'll never understand." I offered a polite smile and nodded my head. I knew Clarissa had family in Forks and that was why she moved here, but I didn't know one of her relatives was a classmate. "So, do you need help finding your way around?"

"Um," I said as I glanced down at my now crimpled map before I looked up at him. I didn't get any of the weird vibes from Trevor that I got with Clarissa and he seemed genuine in his desire to help me, so, I smiled. "That'd be great, thanks." He smiled and nodded his head.

"All right, just hand over your schedule and I'll tell you the best ways to get around," he said as he held out his right hand. I laughed and grabbed the yellow piece of paper from my crimpled cluster of papers and his eyes quickly scanned the page. I had hope to find a friend in Trevor. It would be nice to have at least one friendly face to look for in the surprisingly crowded school. "We've actually got our first two periods together, and I can show you the quickest ways to get to your other classes," he said before he looked up from my schedule and held it back out to me.

"Thanks, Trevor," I said again and he smiled.

"No problem," he said with a shrug. "Let's get going. Mr. Harrington hates it when you're late." I nodded and quickly followed him through the corridors. The looks that were sent our way weren't hard to notice, but Trevor ignored them so I did too. My day was going pretty good so far, but it was still early.

* * *

A/N: Many virtual hugs if you can guess who, in my story anyway, is Trevor's older sister.


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I hope you like this one as well. It's more of a filler chapter, but I hope you like it all the same. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 17

I had made quick friends with Trevor and I was lucky enough to be partnered with a rather nice girl named Anna in my physics class. She was quiet and shy, but since the teacher gave us the last fifteen minutes free I was able to get her to open up a bit. Once I got her talking, I found out that we had a lot in common. We liked the same type of music and movies. I told her about Jason and how I had just moved to Forks over the summer. I did most of the talking, and if Paul would have been there, he would have started calling me a chatterbox.

"I've got lunch now, what about you?" I asked Anna when the bell rang signaling the end of class. Anna pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and nodded. "Great, we can sit together," I said as we followed our classmates to the door. She looked surprised, so, I quickly backtracked. "Unless you've already got plans with your friends; if so, I can sit somewhere else."

"That's not it," she said quickly as she shook her head and held her binder close to her chest. The girl really was terribly shy, more so than I had ever been. She reminded me of, well, me before I met Paul; and for some reason I wanted to help her come out of her shell a bit. My shyness had been more out of fear, and now that I didn't have that anymore, I really had nothing holding me back. "I moved here last year and I haven't really made any friends. I usually just sit alone."

"You moved here last year?" I asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, to live with my aunt," she said. "She's not the most popular lady in town, and as you know, I'm not very talkative. I think everyone thinks I'm like her."

"Well, that won't due," I said with a warm smile that she slowly returned. "We'll sit together; however, you'll have to point me in the right direction. I'm too lazy to get my map out to find the cafeteria." Anna laughed as she led me to the cafeteria and it was easy to see that it wasn't something she normally did. It didn't take us long and we stopped at the doors so I could scan for a decent table.

"Harper!" a familiar deep voice called and my eyes caught a standing, waving, and smiling Trevor a few tables over from where Anna and I stood. I smiled at him and waved back before I looked at Anna.

"Come on, we can sit with Trevor," I said and her eyes widened even more, which made me laugh before I latched onto her arm and pulled her further into the cafeteria to Trevor's table. "Hey Trevor," I said with a smile as Anna and I came to a stop at the table. Besides Trevor, two other guys and two girls sat at the round table and I let go of Anna's arm. Trevor smiled at me as he stood and gestured to everyone at the table.

"Guys, this is Harper," he said. "Harper this is Luke," he said as he pointed to a brown haired, brown eyed guy that gave me a smile, "Carl," he said as he pointed to the African American boy who nodded his head as he looked at me and smiled, "Nora," he continued as he pointed to the black haired, green eyed girl who gave me a genuine smile, "and Kara," he finished as he pointed to the blonde who was sitting in the chair next to the one Trevor had stood from.

"Hi," I said with a smile and a wave to all of them. "You guys know Anna, right?" I asked as I gestured to my quiet as a mouse friend and Kara scoffed. I raised an eyebrow as I looked at her and watched as she tossed her hair over her shoulder and looked at me with a challenge in her dark brown eyes. I opened my mouth to say something when Trevor cut me off.

"Yeah, you're in my lit class; third period," Trevor said and I looked at him to see him giving the brunette next to me a kind smile. I glanced at Anna in time to see her nod as she blushed lightly. Trevor nodded and chuckled quietly before he returned his eyes to me. "You guys want to join us?" he asked.

"Sure," I said as I took off my backpack and sat it in the vacant chair next to the one Trevor sat down on. Anna slowly did the same, putting her things in the chair between mine and Luke's. "We're just going to grab some food and we'll be right back." Trevor nodded and returned to his lunch and his friends while Anna and I made our way to the line. "What do you feel like; pizza or salad?" I asked when I saw what was being served in the hot line and when I noticed the salad bar.

"Doesn't matter," Anna said and I gave her a pointed look that made her blush as she laughed nervously. "Salad?" she suggested and I nodded before the two of us headed towards the salad bar line. "How do you know Trevor Mallory?" Anna asked me quietly as we fell in line.

"We literally ran into each other this morning when I was leaving the office," I said. "We have our first two periods together and we just sort of hit it off. He's a really nice guy."

"Yeah," Anna said softly as she blushed a light pink and I realized something about my new friend. She had a crush on Trevor and probably thought that there was something going on between the two of us; a thought that I needed to correct immediately.

"I don't know him very well yet, but I think he'd get a long pretty well with my boyfriend," I said absently as I picked up a tray and a bowl from the counter when I reached it.

"You have a boyfriend?" Anna asked as she copied my movements and I smiled at her as I nodded.

"Yeah," I said. "He lives in La Push, on the reservation."

"Oh," she said before we started to fix our salads. I paid for my salad and water and then Anna paid for hers before we made our way back to the table. Trevor smiled at us and kindly moved our bags out of our seats. "Thank you," Anna said quietly as she sat down and I smiled at Trevor.

"Yeah, thanks," I said and he nodded before he sat back in his chair.

"So, your brother's dating Trevor's cousin?" Kara asked as she flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder again and I nodded as I picked up my plastic fork and mixed around my salad.

"Yeah," I said before I stabbed some lettuce and a cherry tomato with my fork. I had only been in her presence for less than five minutes and I already didn't like Kara, especially after the face and noise she made when I introduced Anna.

"Your brother's a lucky man," Luke said, drawing my eyes to him and I practically choked on my food as I started to chew the bite that I had taken.

"Gross, man, that's my cousin," Trevor said and Luke laughed.

"Yeah, well Lauren's not here for me to give you a hard time about, so, she'll have to do," Luke teased Trevor with a cocky grin, which made Trevor roll his eyes.

"Lauren's got a permit stick up her ass," Trevor said and I was confused because I didn't know who Laruen was. "Clarissa's not as bad, but she's got her moments."

"Who's Lauren?" I asked after I swallowed my bite of salad and Trevor looked at me.

"My older sister," he said and I gave a curt nod as I tucked my hair behind my left ear. Why he would talk about his sister like that, I wasn't sure; but I'm assumed he had his reasons.

"Oh my God, what happened to your face?" Kara asked sharply and I looked away from Trevor and to Kara who had a disgusted look on her face. The table and the two surrounding us went silent. Carl and Luke looked at me and Nora gasped quietly. I'd completely forgotten about my scar, first time in forever really, and I blushed deeply as I pulled my hair out from behind my ear to hide the scar from view.

"Harper?" Trevor asked, sounding concerned, and I looked at him before I looked away from him and at Anna, who looked just as concerned as Trevor did. I looked away from Anna and at my lunch in front of me before I cleared my throat and looked at Kara.

"It happened a long time ago, and I don't like to think about it," I said and thankfully Trevor quickly changed the subject.

"So, you guys excited for the Seahawks' first game on Sunday?" he asked. Luke and Carl seemed to get the idea and the conversation turned away from me. I owed Trevor for that and I'd be sure to thank him later.

* * *

After lunch the rest of the day had gone pretty smoothly. Anna was in my last two classes and we had exchanged numbers before the day was out and I made her promise that she would come over to my house sometime that week. Anna and I parted ways once we reached the parking lot and I was almost to my truck when a voice called out behind me.

"Hey Harper!" the voice called and I stopped and turned around to see Trevor jogging over to me. I gave him a small smile as I turned around to face him and wrapped my arms around my stomach to ward off the chill in the air.

"What's up?" I asked and he ran his hand through his hair before he let out a sigh.

"I wanted to apologize for Kara," he said. "She can be a bit of a bitch. I think she idolized my sister a little too much."

"It's okay, Trevor," I said as I shook my head. "If I would have met her a few months ago, it would have hurt more than it did. Girls like her don't bother me anymore. Thanks for changing the subject by the way."

"You're welcome," he said as he smiled. "So, will you and Anna sit with us again tomorrow?" I was glad he mentioned Anna because I really liked her and if he wasn't seeing anyone, I had plan.

"Sure," I said and his smile grew.

"Good," he said as he nodded his head in a way that made laugh.

"I should get going," I said as I gestured behind me towards my truck. "I've got to get dinner started. I've been seriously lacking in my portion of the chores lately, and Jason will probably have my head if he comes home and dinner's not even started." Trevor chuckled and nodded his head.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," he said and I nodded.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," I said before I turned and jogged over to my truck. I tossed my bag into the cab and after fastening my seatbelt, I started the truck. Several eyes turned my way, but instead of ducking my head in shame I just smiled and waved at the kids looking my way before I left the lot and headed home. I didn't know what had gotten into me that day because I felt like I didn't have a care in the world.

When I got home I was surprised to find Paul's and Jason's trucks parked in front of the house and the two of them standing on the porch talking. They both looked my way and Paul smiled when his eyes met mine through the windshield. He jumped over the railing of the porch before he started over towards my truck. Jason laughed and shook his head before he went into the house.

"Hey," I said as I grabbed my backpack and climbed from the truck. I no more closed the door when he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tight to his chest. I laughed, but the noise was muffled by his shirt since my face was buried in his shoulder.

"How was your first day?" he asked and I smiled as I pulled back from him and he took my bag from me.

"It was good. I made a few new friends," I said before I tugged on his t-shirt. "What are you guys doing here? I thought you were on a job."

"We were, but we finished early," Paul said. "I followed Jason home to see you and to find out if the truck ran okay."

"It's as loud as a jet plane, but it ran perfectly," I said and he laughed. "Do you want to stay for dinner?" I asked as I laced my left arm with Paul's right and the two of us headed towards the house, Paul holding my bag in his left hand. I may have considered myself a modern girl, but I liked that Paul carried things for me, opened doors, and pulled out my chair.

"If you want me to," he said and I rolled my eyes as we walked up the porch steps.

"Of course I want you to," I said and he chuckled before he put my bag on his shoulder and opened the door for me. "Would you put that in my room for me?" I asked and he nodded as I let go of Paul's arm and jogged into the kitchen to see Jason pulling a can of soda from the fridge. "Hey," I said before I walked over to him and hugged him. He laughed and hugged me back.

"You're in a good mood," he said and I smiled as I pulled away from him and went to the fridge to get a soda for myself.

"I had a good day," I said. "I met Clarissa's cousin, Trevor. He's in a few of my classes."

"Yeah, he's a good kid," Jason said as I pulled out two sodas, one for me and one for Paul.

"Jeez, you sound like your eighty when you say stuff like that," I said with a smile as I closed the fridge and Jason chuckled. Paul joined us in the kitchen then and I smiled at him before I walked over and handed him the soda.

"Thanks," he said quietly and I went over to the table and sat down, Jason and Paul soon joining me.

"Paul's going to stay for dinner, is that okay?" I asked Jason before I took a drink of my soda and Jason looked at Paul and then at me.

"Actually, I'm going out with Clarissa tonight, but Paul can stay," Jason said and I nodded as Jason turned his eyes to Paul. "I'll be home before nine, so, I suggest you to also go home before then." He gave Paul a pointed look that made me blush, but Paul just nodded his head.

"I will," Paul said and Jason looked at his watch.

"I'm going to take a shower and get ready," Jason said. "We're going out to Port Angeles to some restaurant she likes and she'll have my head if I take her out smelling like sawdust and sweat." Jason stood from the table and I waited until I heard the bathroom door close before I looked at Paul.

"He'll be gone in about an hour, and we'll have the house to ourselves," I said with a smile that Paul easily returned. Over the summer, when Jason would take Clarissa out, Paul and I would spend the evenings together in the house. We'd order in and watch a movie, but our attention never stayed on the screen for too long. We always ended up making out. I'd seen the first twenty minutes of the same movie about eight times and I still had no idea how the movie ended. "So, pizza and a movie?" I asked and Paul's smile grew as he took my right hand into his left.

"Pizza and a movie," he repeated before he brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of my hand.

* * *

An hour and a half later I had had my customary two pieces of the extra large sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, and extra cheese pizza we always ordered and Paul had finished off the other six with ease. We were settled on the sofa, getting ready to watch a movie when my cell phone, which was resting on the coffee table in front of us, started ringing. Paul was poised with the remote in his hand, but waited for me to answer the phone.

"Hello?" I asked without even bothering to look at the ID. I knew it was one of three people; Kim, Emily, or Anna; since Jason would have called the house number if he was checking in on me.

"H-hi, Harper, it's Anna," came Anna's soft voice and I smiled.

"Hey Anna," I said as I stood from the sofa and gestured at Paul that I would be right back before I walked down the hall and into my bedroom. I left the door open because I knew Paul would hear me anyway, but I didn't need to see the curious looks he was bound to give me. "Did you need something?"

"I was . . . did I call you at a bad time?" she asked and I laughed lightly.

"No, you're fine. I was just getting ready to watch a movie with my boyfriend, but he can wait. What's up?" Just then Paul appeared at the door his arms crossed over his chest and an eyebrow rose at my words, but I ignored him and listened to Anna.

"Well," she said with a soft sigh. "I was wondering if we could . . . hang out tomorrow after school. My aunt works late on Tuesdays and I thought we could do something."

"Sure. You could even show me a bit around Forks," I said. "I may have moved here three months ago, but I know La Push better than I do Forks cause I spend most of my time there. I only know where the school and the grocery store are but that's not saying much." Anna laughed then and I smiled.

"Great, well, I'll see you tomorrow," she said.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," I said and we ended our call. I put my phone on the nightstand and looked up at Paul, awaiting the question I knew he was going to ask.

"Who was that?" Paul asked as he pushed himself off of the doorframe and uncrossed his arms as he walked over to me only to sit down on the bed next to me.

"That was Anna," I said, "a new friend." He nodded and raised his right hand to my hair, pushing the loose curls from my face, but when his fingers brushed my cheek the familiar rush of heat spread through my body and it only intensified when I remembered several things.

We were in my bedroom, sitting on my bed, with the house completely to ourselves. It was still early, barely even six, and Jason wouldn't be home for a long while yet. I quickly pulled away from him and stood from the bed, my heart pounding hard in my chest as I turned around and looked at him. He looked up at me with a frown and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when I straddled his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly and quickly as the fingers of my left hand played softly against the skin of the back of his neck. Out of instinct, his right arm wrapped around my waist and held me close to him while his left hand rested on the back of my jean clad right thigh.

"I don't know," I said honestly before I leaned in and placed a soft kiss upon his lips and rested my forehead against his. "You should probably show me," I whispered.

"You're going to be the death of me, Harper," he breathed before he tilted his head and captured my lips with his. When he pulled his lips away both of us were breathing heavily, like we had just ran a marathon, and the only sound in the room was that of our heavy breaths mixing together. Who knew that the mood between two people could change so quickly? "Jason will be home soon, Harper," he said as he looked at me with hooded eyes. "I don't want to rush this."

"We're not rushing anything, Paul," I said. It was the first time since the Fourth of July that his kisses and gentle touches over my clothes were not enough. I needed to feel his skin against mine, and if I went by what I read in magazines and heard on talk shows, three months was a long time to wait to sleep together. Granted the first month was me coming to terms with my past, but it had been two months from the time I told him that I loved him until that moment. I needed all of him.

"Harper," he said slowly as his left hand slid up my leg to join his right on my back. "I want to take my time and truly enjoy the experience of being with you for the first time. I don't want the thought of Jason coming home any minute to be in the back of my mind. I want all of my attention to be on you."

"And how long do I have to wait for that?" I asked, exasperated, and he laughed before his hands settled on my hips.

"Now that I know how you feel, not long," he said. "I don't think I can stand waiting much longer myself."

"When did you become the girl in this relationship?" I asked, teasing him and trying to get my focus back on the straight path and not the windy path I had turned on.

"When you started thinking with other parts of your body," he teased back and I smacked his shoulder playfully before I kissed him chastely and climbed off of him and the bed.

"Come on, maybe this time we can actually pay attention to the movie and understand what the hell is going on in it," I said and he laughed before he took my extended hand into his. The two of us went back out into the living room and sat down on the sofa. Paul grabbed the remote and I settled into his warm side as the opening credits started rolling. Much to my surprise we made it through the movie without making out, however, I still missed the ending because with fifteen minutes left I was out like a light.


	18. Chapter 18

Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds! This chapter is over five thousand words and I hope you like it. I'm not so sure about it, so, please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight _series.

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Chapter 18

Three weeks into the school year I had settled into a pretty standard routine and had become even closer with Anna. I had met her aunt, and I could see what Anna had meant when she said her aunt wasn't really liked in the town. She was an older woman with a terrible attitude. Like me Anna hadn't had the easiest last couple of years. She never knew her father and her mother died when she was fifteen. It had taken social services in Seattle a year and a half to find her mother's older sister, and Anna had moved in with her shortly after. It turned out that Anna and I had more in common than I originally thought, and I was determined to show her that she didn't need to hide away.

"Hey Anna," I said as I settled into my seat next to her at our table in physics. She smiled at me as she looked up and adjusted her glasses on her nose. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine, you?" she asked and I smiled back.

"Good," I said as I started to pull out my things for class. "Are you doing anything tomorrow?" She shook her head negatively and my smile grew. Emily and Sam had invited Jason and me over to their place for a cook out, and Emily said I could invite a few of my new friends so everyone could meet. "Do you want to come to a cook out with me?" I asked.

"Where at?" she asked, actually looking interested.

"Friends of mine are having sort of a farewell to decent weather thing at their place on the reservation," I said. "Trevor's coming. Luke, Carl, and Kara can't make it, but Nora said she'd let me know at lunch." I had only invited Kara to be polite, but thankfully she turned down the invitation right away when I told her where it was. She had stormed off, so, I had asked Nora what her problem was and Nora quietly explained to me that Kara had been shot down by one of the guys on the reservation and it had been a rather humiliating experience for the cheerleading captain.

"I don't know," Anna said and I reached out with my left hand and clamped down onto her right forearm.

"I really want you to come, and I'll give you a ride so you don't have to ask your aunt to borrow the car," I said as I slowly took my hand from her arm. "It'll be fun and the guys will love you. Paul already likes you and he hasn't even met you yet." She laughed nervously before she tucked her hair behind her ears and let out a heavy breath.

"Okay," she said and I smiled.

"Great," I said. "I'll pick you up at ten and then I'll bring you over to my place to get ready."

"Ready for what?" she asked.

"The cook out of course," I said before I leaned in closer to her and continued my words in a hushed whisper. "Don't you want to impress Trevor?" I asked and her face blushed scarlet at my words before she quickly looked away from me and at the whiteboard in front of us. Anna didn't give herself much credit. She was very pretty, but she hid herself underneath far too big sweaters, baggy jeans, and her long locks that she never did anything with. She didn't have the perfect figure like Kara or Nora, and she was on the shorter side; but she was still pretty. She just never let it show.

"How did you know?" she asked in a whisper after several quiet seconds and she looked at me.

"Don't worry, you're not obvious about it," I assured her. "I just sort of guessed, and since he's not seeing anyone why not show him what you got?"

"I don't have anything," Anna hissed, her face flushing a bit deeper. "He likes girls like Kara or Nora or . . . or . . ."

"If you say me, I'll smack you," I told her pointedly and she sighed as she looked down at her notebook and textbook in front of her. The classroom had filled up, but Mr. Parson hadn't come in yet, so, I kept talking. "Anna, until I moved here I was just like you; worse even." She looked at me with a confused frown on her face.

"Sure you were," she said softly before she looked away from me again and I sighed.

"I know you don't believe me, but it's true," I said. "Look, all I'm asking for is an opportunity to show you that you're worth more than you think you are. Give me that and you'll see that I'm right." She looked at me and I gave her a small smile. She sighed quietly as she adjusted her glasses once more and turned her eyes away from me.

"Fine, but if you make me look silly, Harper, I swear I will never speak to you again," she said and I smiled.

"Don't worry, after tomorrow you'll be thanking me," I said just as Mr. Parson came in and I laughed quietly to myself.

* * *

"Hold still," I chided as I was doing my best to finish Anna's eye makeup the following day. Over the summer, Kim had taught me a few tricks to keep what little makeup I wore natural and light, and I was using them on Anna but with colors that suited her olive complexion. I had already fixed her hair by pulling it into half loose ponytail and curling it gently. I had also gotten her into clothes that actually fit her. I had to raid her closet when I went to pick her up and it had taken me nearly thirty minutes to find a pair of dark jeans that fit her right. I gave up on finding a shirt for her in her closet, so, I loaned her one of mine; a long sleeved pastel green cotton shirt that actually fit her better than it fit me.

"I don't know why you insisted on putting makeup on me," Anna said as she sighed in defeat and held still so I could finish. "When I put my glasses on you won't be able to see it anyway."

"That's the point. You're not supposed to notice the makeup, you're supposed to notice the beauty it helps to enhance," I told her. "Trevor will be here in about twenty minutes and we've got to finish getting you ready." I put on the finishing touches and mentally gave myself a round of applause for doing it right. "Okay, open your eyes," I said with a as I pulled away from her. Anna did as I said and I smiled at my handy work before I held out her glasses to her. She sighed quietly and took the thin silver frames from my hand and slid them into place. "Here, take a look at yourself," I said as I handed her a mirror and she took it into her hands, but didn't look into it.

"Harper, are you sure this is such a good idea?" she asked. "I feel ridiculous in this outfit and I don't want to look like I'm trying to be something I'm not."

"Anna, just look at yourself in that mirror and tell me what you think," I said as I continued to smile at her. She huffed and finally raised the mirror to her face. She gasped and my smile grew.

"Holy cow," Anna said quietly and I laughed as she lowered the mirror from her face and looked at me in surprise.

"See how pretty you are when you actually let yourself shine; and you're not trying to be anybody other than yourself," I said. She smiled for the first time since I asked her to the cook out the day before and she stood from the edge of my bed where I had perched her so I could do her makeup. To my surprise she hugged me tight and I laughed quietly as I hugged her back.

"You're the first person to tell me I'm pretty since my mom died, Harper," Anna said quietly as she continued to hug me.

"And I'm positive I won't be the last," I said and she finally pulled away from me. "I think Trevor will like what he sees don't you?"

"I don't know about that, but . . . maybe," she said and I laughed again. Just then, Jason knocked on my bedroom door and I looked at it.

"Come in," I said and he opened the door.

"Hey Harp, Tre-," Jason stopped short when Anna turned around to look at him and he smiled at her. "Wow, Anna, you look nice," he said and Anna blushed a dark pink as she fidgeted with the mirror in her hands before she sat it down on the bed.

"Thanks," she said quietly and Jason moved his smiling face to mine.

"Trevor is outside," he said. "I'm going to go pick up Clarissa and I'll meet you guys at Sam and Emily's." I nodded my head and grabbed my bag from my dresser behind me. Jason left and I smiled at Anna who was back to her nervous self.

"Told you," she said and her blush raged yet again. "Come on." She swallowed hard and nodded before she followed me from my bedroom. Jason was waiting at the door for us and he let us pass before he followed and locked the door behind him. Trevor was standing outside his truck, leaning up against the hood, and looked our way when he heard us making our way down the porch steps.

"Sorry I'm early," Trevor said and I shook my head.

"I'm glad you are," I said. "I wanted to leave a little early to give Emily a hand." Trevor nodded as he glanced behind me, but as his eyes started back to me they stopped and settled over my shoulder at Anna who stood behind me.

"Anna?" he asked, sounding surprised and I turned around slightly and looked between the two.

"She looks nice, doesn't she?" I asked and Trevor finally looked back at me before he returned his eyes to Anna.

"Yeah," he said softly with a small smile playing on his lips. Anna didn't say anything; she just smiled shyly and blushed yet again.

"Well, let's get going," I said before I started towards my truck. I looked over my shoulder in time to see Trevor follow Anna with his eyes as she walked towards my truck before he cleared his throat, turned away, and walked to his own truck.

He glanced at Anna again as she climbed into my truck and when he felt my eyes on him he looked at me. I smirked and raised an eyebrow, which made _him_ blush as he turned away and quickly got into his truck. I laughed and followed suit. As I started the engine, I smiled at Anna who was looking out the passenger window and at Trevor who was looking through his own window at Anna.

"Your first born will do," I said and Anna looked away from him and at me.

"What?" she asked sharply and I laughed as I put the truck into gear.

"After you two are married, I expect your first born to be named after me in some way. After all, he or she will have me to thank for you two getting together," I said and Anna's face flamed red.

"Nothing's going to happen," Anna said. "Come Monday he won't even look twice at me."

"You think so?" I asked as I glanced at her while driving and she nodded. "Okay, I'll bet you lunch for a week that by the end of the day today, Trevor will ask you out on a date."

"You're on," Anna said after she scoffed and I smiled. I was pretty sure that come Monday, Anna would be buying my lunch.

* * *

"Paul!" I shouted happily after I parked my truck, climbed out, and spotted Paul just as he was coming out of the trees dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of jean cut offs. I left the others behind as I ran over to him and he scooped me up into his arms. I laughed as I hugged him and then kissed his cheek. "Missed you," I said as he settled me back on my feet and he laughed.

"We had dinner together last night, you couldn't have missed me that much," he said. I raised an eyebrow as I fixed my sweater and looked up at him.

"What? You didn't miss me?" I asked and he smiled as he raised his hand to my face and tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Of course I did, but during my patrol last night I made a pit stop," he whispered before he leaned in close to me. "Do you know that you talk in your sleep sometimes?" I felt my cheeks heat as he chuckled.

"You didn't," I said and he smiled.

"I did, and you shouldn't leave your window cracked. It would be different if you were on the second floor or something, but anyone could climb in since you're on the ground floor."

"That explains why the window was closed this morning," I said and Paul's smile grew. "So, are you going to tell me what I said?"

"Oh no," he said as he shook his head negatively. "I'll take that to my grave." I pouted and smacked at his chest, but he caught my hand and pressed it firmly to his chest as he started to lean into me. However, it was then that I remembered Anna and Trevor and I quickly pulled away from him. "What's wrong?" he asked with a frown and I gestured behind me. He looked up and over my head while I turned around and headed towards Anna and Trevor who stood by our parked trucks looking at Paul and I curiously.

"I forgot about Anna and Trevor," I said as I started walking towards the trucks. "You finally get to meet them." Paul chuckled before he caught up with me and took my hand as the two of us walked over to Anna and Trevor. "Sorry guys," I said with a light laugh when we reached them. "I hadn't seen Paul for a little while and when I spotted him I got a little excited." Anna laughed and handed me the keys to the truck.

"You left it running," she said and I blushed as I took the keys from her.

"Thanks," I said before I closed my hand around the keys and then brought my hand to Paul's arm. "Guys this is my boyfriend Paul; Paul these are my friends Trevor and Anna." Paul smiled and held out his hand to Trevor first.

"It's nice to meet you," he said and Trevor shook his hand, looking slightly intimidated. Trevor wasn't small, at six feet two inches, and he was a star guard on the Forks High School basketball team so he had a bit of muscle to him; however, he paled in comparison to Paul. Trevor let go of Paul's hand and Anna shyly shook his hand. "Harper's told me a lot about you guys."

"Are Emily and Kim inside?" I asked as I looked up at Paul and he nodded. I let go of his hand and grabbed Anna's. "Come on, let's give them a hand. They've got to get enough food ready for a small army and the more hands the better." Anna laughed as I started to pull her along, but stopped to look at Paul. "Introduce Trevor to the guys, would you?" I asked and Paul smiled before he nodded and Anna and I continued on our way to the house.

* * *

"You'd think she was a princess or something," I said bitterly as I checked the very large pot of boiling potatoes that would be mashed to go along with the hamburgers and sausage Sam was grilling.

"Who are you talking about?" Kim asked with a laugh as she sauntered up to me and I sighed as I put the fork down on the counter.

"Clarissa," I said tiredly and Kim laughed again. "It's not funny. Even Anna's been helping get everything together, but she's settled herself in that damn chair and you'd think the world would end if she had to get up to do anything other than take a piss." I was beyond frustrated with Clarissa and how she was treating everyone that day.

"Whoa," Kim said as her laughter died down and took in what I said. "Language Harper," she teased and I rolled my eyes.

"Sorry, it's just . . . argh! She drives me insane," I said. "I know Jason cares about her and she's Trevor's cousin, but I cannot take it anymore. It's like she thinks she's better than all of us."

"Probably, but there's not much you can do," Kim said. "She's got her claws firmly into him and I don't think she'll be letting go anytime soon."

"I just hope she keeps her claws to herself," I said. "I can't shake the feeling that she's working up to something."

"What do you mean?" she asked with a frown and I sighed before I tucked my hair behind my ears.

"I don't know, but I've been fighting the feelings for a while," I said. "Trevor told me she's a bit stuck up but that she has a softer side. I think the soft side is just covering up her true nature."

"Which is?" she asked and I smirked.

"A succubus," I said and Kim laughed so loud that several heads looked in through the patio window.

"Everything okay in there?" Jared asked and Kim quieted her laughter by covering her mouth with her hand, but she wasn't able to stop laughing.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Kim just thinks I'm a comical genius," I said with a too sweet smile and Jared obviously didn't believe me but he humored me.

"Okay," he said before he went back outside and I laughed when Kim smacked my arm.

"What?" I asked and she smiled at me.

"You are evil," she said.

"No, I'm not. I just don't like her," I said, "and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about," Kim said and I sighed.

"I'm worried that she's going to do something to cause problems between Jason and me," I admitted, all humor aside, and I think Kim realized the shift in my demeanor because her face drew serious.

"If she does, I think Jason will see through it," Kim said and I nodded, hoping she was right.

* * *

After dinner, my brooding mood lifted and Sam had built a fire in the fire pit. Kim and Jared sat on one of the logs while Emily and Sam sat close by. Thankfully, Jason and Clarissa had left ages earlier along with everyone else leaving only the eight of us settled around the fire since DJ was already tucked into bed. Paul sat in front of one of the large logs and I sat in front of him, in between his legs and wrapped up in his arms. I was very warm between the fire and Paul's body heat, but I didn't mind. I was too comfortable to move and I had the best vantage point to watch the budding romance between Anna and Trevor.

The pair sat kiddy corner from where I sat, both sitting on top of one of the logs and sitting rather close to each other as they talked. The wind had blown a few strands of Anna's hair free and my smile grew as I watched Trevor gently tuck some of the strands behind Anna's ear. To her credit, she didn't look away and blush. She just smiled softly at and quietly thanked him.

"What has you so happy?" Paul asked in a whisper and I turned my attention away from Anna and Trevor and looked over my shoulder and up at Paul's face. He was smiling at me and I wondered what was wrong with me that I was focused on Anna and Trevor when I had my amazing boyfriend holding me tightly.

"I'm just satisfied with my matchmaking skills," I whispered back and he chuckled under his breath.

"What?" he asked and I gestured with my head towards Anna and Trevor. Paul kept his head tilted down so he was looking at me, but looked up with his eyes towards the couple. "Anna and Trevor?" he asked. I nodded when his eyes returned to my face and he smiled before he leaned into me and kissed me chastely. I sighed quietly when he pulled his lips from mine and rested his forehead against mine.

"Paul," I said softly and he lifted his head from mine and looked down at me. "I love you." I hadn't said those words to him very often since the first time I told him, and I didn't know why I felt so compelled to say them to him just then. He smiled down at me and raised his right hand from where it rested over mine on my stomach and ran the back of his knuckles against my scarred cheek.

"I love you too," he said back and I smiled as I closed the small distance between us and kissed him chastely before a throat clearing broke us apart. I turned to my left and looked up to see Anna and Trevor standing there.

"Trevor's going to give me a ride home, Harper, if that's okay with you," Anna said and I noticed that they were holding hands.

"Sure, that's fine," I said through my smile and Anna bit her lip.

"Don't let me forget that I owe you lunch on Monday," she said and my smile grew as I turned my eyes to Trevor who was grinning like the cat that got the canary.

"See you on Monday, Harper," Trevor said and I nodded. "Thanks for having us over," he said as he looked at Sam and Emily. The couple smiled together and Emily nodded.

"Thank you for coming," Emily said. "It was a pleasure having you here." With a final wave the newly formed pair made their way around the house to Trevor's parked truck.

"What was with the whole lunch thing?" Paul asked. "You lit up like a Christmas tree when she said that."

"I made a bet with her that Trevor was going to ask her out by the end of the night, and when he did she had to buy me lunch for the week. That was her way of telling me I won the bet," I said. Everyone laughed and Paul kissed my temple before he tightened his arms around me.

"You are too much," he said into my hair before he took a deep breath.

"You love me anyway," I said.

"You know it," he whispered and I laughed as I rested my head against his shoulder. Despite my earlier mood, the day had turned out pretty well.

* * *

The following week went by pretty quickly and I had never looked forward to a Saturday more than that one. I was spending the day alone with Paul, and I was excited because it had been ages since we had a whole day to do whatever together. I woke up early and was heading into the bathroom when I heard giggling coming from Jason's bedroom. I rolled my eyes and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind me rather loudly so that Jason and Clarissa knew I was awake. It made me sick that he brought her to the house all the time, but he was happy and my feelings towards Clarissa really shouldn't get in the way of that.

I showered and shaved as quickly as I could because the faster I got out of the house the better. I towel dried my hair and decided to let it air dry the rest of the way. I got dressed in fitted gray t-shirt, black zip up hoodie, and a pair of light wash jeans. I grabbed my phone, keys, and coin purse from my nightstand before I made my way out into the living room and then into the kitchen. The sight that met my eyes when I walked into the kitchen made me want to puke. Jason had Clarissa pinned against the counter as he kissed her and I rolled my eyes.

"It's a little early for that guys," I said dryly as I walked over to the fridge and grabbed the carton of orange juice while Jason broke away from Clarissa, who I heard sigh. I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured myself a glass of juice.

"Are you going to Emily's?" Jason asked and I glanced at him to see him wipe his lips as he looked at me. I shook my head negatively as I put the juice back in the fridge and grabbed my glass from the counter. "Where are you going?" he asked while I took a drink of my juice.

"I'm spending the day with Paul," I said after I swallowed and lowered my glass. "I'm not sure where we're going yet because we haven't really talked about it."

"You know, Harper, I really don't think that you should be dating such an older man," Clarissa said and I frowned as I looked at her.

"Paul's twenty-one, Clarissa; not thirty-one," I said and she sighed quietly as she walked over to Jason's side and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Paul's a nice guy and all, but do you really want that kind of reputation? We live in such a small town and people like to talk." She was standing there in the middle of my kitchen in a pale pink silk robe that barely reached the middle of her thighs and she was seriously calling my reputation into question.

"Well, I haven't had sex with him and we've been dating longer than you and Jason; so am I really the one that has to worry about my reputation?" I asked and Clarissa's eyes flashed.

"Harper," Jason said tightly and I looked at him. "Apologize."

"No," I said and Jason raised an eyebrow. "If anyone needs to apologize, it's her. She made me sound like people think I'm the town whore, and you let her say it."

"She's got a point though, Harper," he said and I was floored.

"I'll be eighteen in October, Jason, so, it doesn't really matter that he's three years older," I said. "Do you honestly think he's pressuring me to move faster than we are?" He pursed his lips together and I shook my head in disbelief because his expression was clear. He did think he was pressuring me, and there was little doubt in my mind that Clarissa had planted those seeds into his head. "You'd think he'd do that despite knowing everything? Jason, you know Paul. Don't let her tell you what's going on when she doesn't know anything." I slammed my glass onto the counter, spilling the juice everywhere, but I didn't care. I pushed past them and stormed over to the door.

"Harper!" Jason said sharply and I stopped before I turned around to look at him. "Give me your keys. You're not going anywhere."

"You want the keys? Fine," I said before I tossed them at him. "I'll walk." I stormed out of the house and instead of heading towards the road, I ran into the trees knowing Jason wouldn't think of looking for me there, but in my anger I wasn't thinking clearly. If I would have, I would have realized what a bad idea going off into the woods was; especially when I didn't have the slightest clue where I was going.

I'd been walking for nearly thirty minutes when I realized that I was lost and the panic slowly started to settle in. I grabbed my cell phone out of the pocket of my jeans and I flipped it open to call Paul only to have 'no service' flash on the screen. I let out a frustrated sigh as I looked around me, but I recognized nothing and after I was done spinning around I couldn't even tell which direction I had come from to begin with. Tears of frustration and fear lined my eyes before I let out a quiet sob and sank down onto the damp earth beneath a large oak tree. Who knew what would come across me before anyone else found me; if anyone would find me.

I drew my legs close to my chest and wrapped my arms around my shins before I rested my head on my knees and cried. I was so stupid.


	19. Chapter 19

Hey everyone! Thank you so very much for all of your reviews and adds! I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Clarissa is definately a major pain, but she does not make an appearance in this chapter. I had a plan on how this chapter was going to play out. I actually had nearly all of it written when I posted Chapter 18, but when I was getting ready for bed Friday night another idea for how it could play out came to me. I didn't go to bed right away that night because I couldn't stop thinking about it, so, I ended up turning on the computer and rewriting this chapter. I fine tuned it today, but I'm not sure if you guys will like it. Please let me know what you think! I'd love to know.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 19

_Third Person POV_

Paul was walking out to his truck to meet up with Harper at the diner for breakfast when he saw Jason pull up. He frowned and walked around his truck as Jason climbed out of the truck and slammed the door. "Where is she?" he demanded and Paul's frown only deepened.

"Where's who?" Paul asked.

"Harper!" Jason barked and Paul felt his chest tighten as he shook his head.

"I haven't seen her yet," he said.

"Don't bullshit me, Paul, is she inside?" Jason said as he pointed to the house and started towards the small structure. Paul let him go and quickly followed him to the door. "Harper, open this door!" Jason demanded as he pounded hard on the wood and Paul grabbed his arm.

"She's not in there, man, and if you quit pounding on the door, I'll let you in so you can look for yourself," Paul said as he pulled Jason away. Jason huffed before he tore his arm out of Paul's grip and Paul pulled out his keys to let him in. Jason stormed inside and went through each room and checked eat closet before he came back out on the porch.

"Where is she?" Jason demanded and Paul was getting annoyed.

"I told you I haven't seen her yet," Paul said. "I left her a voicemail about twenty minutes ago to meet me at the diner, but I haven't heard from her." Jason sighed heavily before he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Jason, will you tell me what the hell is going on?"

"We got in an argument," Jason said as he lowered his hand and looked at Paul.

"What did you fight about?" Paul asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Jason sighed again before he put his hands on his hips.

"You," he said and Paul frowned. "Clarissa's been talking to me about how you two shouldn't be seeing each other; that you're too old for her and have expectations of her."

"I don't," Paul said quickly, a deep frown on his face. "Jason, you know me," Paul continued as he raise d his hand to his chest and pointed at himself. "I don't even know Clarissa all that well and she doesn't know me. What she thinks about my relationship with Harper doesn't matter, but what you think does because your Harper's brother and her guardian." Paul lowered his hand with a sigh before he raised it to his hair and ran his hand through it anxiously. "Do you really think that Harper and I shouldn't be together?"

Jason stared hard at Paul for several long seconds and realized something. Paul loved Harper, deeply, and if Harper's reactions to his words earlier were anything to go by, she loved him to. Paul and Harper were right. Clarissa didn't know Paul because during the course of their relationship she really hadn't made an effort to get to know any of his friends. She went along to the cook outs and bon fires with him, but never really participated in any of the conversations. For the last couple of weeks she'd been trying to get him to tell Harper she couldn't see Paul, that she needed to be with someone her own age; but Jason realized that what Harper needed was Paul.

"I don't," Jason said. "Not now. I was wrong in trying to stop Harper. I shouldn't have listened to Clarissa when she doesn't know everything. Look at what it got me. My sister's gone and who knows where she is."

"When did you see her last?"

"Almost two hours ago. She went to leave the house and I told her to give me the keys because she wasn't going anywhere. She just threw the keys at me and stormed out of the house."

"Did you see where she went?" Paul asked and Jason shook his head negatively.

"No," he said. "I looked for her for the last hour and a half before I thought she might have hidden along the road and called you to pick her up. That's why I came here. I don't know where she went." Paul breathed in deeply through his nose to calm his temper, but it wasn't working. "I haven't checked with Kim or Emily yet."

"If she was upset, she would have called me but she didn't; and if she would have called either of them, they would have called me but they haven't," Paul said before he rubbed the back of his neck and closed his eyes to think.

"You don't think she ran off into the woods do you?" Jason asked and Paul quickly opened his eyes as he slowly lowered his hand from his neck. He knew that if Harper was upset and wanted to get away quickly she probably wasn't thinking. He wouldn't put it past her to do just that because that would be the last place Jason would think she'd go.

"She could have," Paul said and Jason simply looked at Paul and was at a lost for what to do. Paul took another breath, but it still wasn't working. His anger at Harper possibly being in danger was getting the better of him, and it didn't help that at that moment thunder rolled above them and the sky opened up in a heavy downpour. "Jason, go back to the house to see if she's gone home," Paul said, his voice shaking as the rain pounded on the overhang above their heads. "Call Emily's place if she's home, but if she's not, wait there and see if she does come home. I'm going to get the guys and we'll start searching the woods."

"Paul, I want to-," Jason started but Paul shook his head.

"No, just go home Jason," Paul said. "We know the woods better than anybody. We'll find her." Jason just stared at him and Paul's temper was getting the better of him. "Go!" Paul ordered and Jason jumped at the venom in that one word and ran down the porch steps and through the pouring rain to his truck.

While Jason pulled out onto the road, Paul made it look like he was going back inside but the second Jason's truck disappeared Paul jumped off the porch and started to the trees, phasing as he leapt over a fallen tree. He howled loudly into the air, the sound cutting through the thunder of the storm that had moved through. He howled again and felt Sam connect to his mind instantly.

"_What's going on?"_ came Sam's voice in his head.

"_Harper got into a fight with Jason and I think she's lost in the woods,"_ Paul said. His fear was prevalent in his mind and easy for Sam to feel.

"_I'm coming. We'll find her,"_ Sam assured him, but Paul wasn't sure how. If she smelled as stomach wrenchingly sweet as the bloodsuckers did, they'd be able to find her; but she didn't. The only time he was able to notice her scent was in places she frequented. He knew he wouldn't recognize her scent from the flowers and vegetation in the woods, especially in the rain.

"_We can't track her scent," _Paul said. _"She could be anywhere."_

"_Paul, we'll find her,"_ Sam said again. Paul pressed his wolf form to move faster but he brought himself to a rough stop when Sam's voice barked an order. _"Paul stop!"_

"_Damn it, why?" _Paul thought as his sharp eyes scanned through the trees in front of him. He was still miles away from Harper's house and where she was probably lost in the woods, cold and wet from the rain.

"_You've reached the line,"_ Sam said and Paul growled as he dug his paws into the wet soil. The Cullens were still in Forks and he couldn't cross the treaty line because of it. The year before all of the Cullens made it seem like they left, but they remained in Forks and locked away in their house and the land surrounding it. The only reason they remained was because of Jacob's imprinting on their hybrid. If they were gone, he could cross the line without having to waste time contacting them. Paul howled into the air again and he felt another of his pack brothers join him and Sam.

"_What's wrong?"_ Jacob asked, but Paul didn't need words. His thoughts were enough to give Jacob the answer to his question. _"Hold on,"_ Jacob mentally breathed and while Paul waited Sam in his massive black wolf form came to a stop next to him. Paul didn't look away from the trees in front of him and he huffed, a small puff of mist escaping his nose thanks to the cold air and rain still pelting down.

"_They'll let us cross, Paul, don't worry,"_ Sam said.

"_Every second we waste, something could be happening to her,"_ Paul said.

"_Cross,"_ came Jacob's voice. _"Edward's volunteered to help. He'll catch her scent before any of us."_

"_I don't want that bloodsucker anywhere near her," _Paul thought as he quickly crossed the line and broke out into a run with Sam hot on his heels.

"_You know he won't hurt her and he's already on his way,"_ Jacob said and Paul growled as he urged his body to go faster. If he even so much as touched a hair on her head, he would not be responsible for his actions.

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_Normal POV_

I had sat in the same spot waiting and hoping that Jason had started looking for me in the woods, but when it started raining I needed to find better cover. The denseness of the trees was no match for thundering rain and after what felt like an eternity I found cover by a thickly branched tree. There wasn't much coverage, but the rain wasn't hitting me as hard as it was when I wasn't underneath it. I was soaked clear to the bone and shivering as I stood under the tree. My jaw was shaking so hard that my teeth were chattering. I hadn't bothered checking my phone to see if I had service because it was probably wet and didn't work anyway. I sighed heavily as I wrapped my arms around me and pressed my back against the tree and scanned the area around me.

"_Please, Jason, find me,"_ I thought as I lowered my head and closed my eyes. _"Please anyone find me."_ A soft and quick breeze blew by me and I quickly raised my head only to gasp when I saw a young man standing in front of me. I had to swallow my scream when I realized what he was. Paul had told me enough to spot a vampire, and that was exactly what the painfully beautiful man in front of me was.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the young man said as he held out a calming hand. "I am helping the wolves look for you."

"Paul's looking for me?" I asked, my voice shaking, and he nodded as he lowered his hand to his side.

"He's not far," the young man said. "Jacob! She's here!" he shouted, his eyes never leaving me.

I simply started at the young man in front of me and I assumed since he called for Jacob that he was one of the Cullens; the vampires that Seth told me about. Seth said they referred to themselves as vegetarians because they didn't drink human blood. Seth thought it was funny; I thought it was kind of morbid. I watched as he bit back a smile and looked down at the ground. Obviously he found the fact that I was freezing to death humorous. The smile vanished from his face as he raised his head to look at me again, concern in his freaky honey colored eyes. I sighed as I slid down against the tree and settled my body on the mud at the base of the tree. I was so cold and I had to fight the dark spots in the corners of my eyes.

"Stay awake, Harper," he said quickly before he frowned deeply and took a half a step closer to me. Just then Jacob appeared in his usual cut offs and was quick to my side.

"Harper," Jacob said before he brought his scorching hands to my face and turned my eyes to him.

"Where's Paul?" I asked weakly.

"He's coming, Harper," he said before he quickly scooped me into his arms and stood under the tree. His heat was welcome, but it felt like it burned me so I tried to pull away.

"Jacob you're too hot," I said as I tried to get him to put me down, but failed miserably because he just pressed me closer to his bare chest.

"No I'm not, Harper, you're just freezing," he said and I gave up fighting him. I was too weak to fight him. Sam appeared then dressed in cut offs with a large and snarling dark gray and silver wolf standing next to him.

"Paul," I whispered upon seeing the wolf and he looked away from the vampire and at me where I laid in Jacob's arms. He whined as he slowly walked over to where Jacob stood with me and pressed his nose to my shoulder before he gently licked my cheek.

"We need to get her inside and warm. My family's house is close and Carlisle will be able to treat her. I'll carry her while you follow," the vampire said and Paul whipped his head around and turned around to face the vampire, his snarl back on his face as he let out a growl.

"Paul," Sam said slowly in warning, but he didn't move from where he stood.

"I would never hurt her, surely you know that by now," the vampire said sounding exasperated before he paused. "The more time you stand there belittling me, the worse her condition becomes." Paul's growls stopped and he turned his wolf head back to look at Jacob and me. My body was practically convulsing against Jacob because I was still freezing despite his warmth.

"He's right, Paul," Jacob said, his grip tight on me. "The Cullen's house is closer than hers and we're only faster than him when we phase. She's in no condition to ride on any of our backs." Paul growled again as he looked away from me and back to the vampire.

"You're more than welcome to do just that," the vampire said. I was confused as to how the vampire knew what Paul was saying, but I was far too cold to ask and I just rested my head against Jacob's shoulder and closed my eyes. "We need to get her to Carlisle now." I was jostled then and pressed to something that felt like ice, but I didn't open my eyes. I was tired, so tired, and slipped easily into the blackness that had been calling me.

* * *

"She'll be fine," a smooth male voice said from somewhere off to my right. I was lying on something soft and was warm beyond belief as I laid wrapped tightly in thick feather filled blankets with a hot water bottle resting on my stomach. "What have they told her family?"

"Paul told her brother that they found her and that she was okay. He said she was still upset with Jason and that she told him to bring her to Sam and Emily's place. He said that he'd bring her home once she calmed down," a second voice said. I recognized it. It belonged to the vampire that found me. I opened my eyes then only to see the vampire that found me and a second vampire. The second vampire stood closest to me and smiled softly as he looked down at me. He was taller and looked only slightly older than the first. They shared no features other than the pale as snow skin and honey colored eyes.

"How are you feeling?" the second vampire asked and I swallowed as I tried to get my bearings.

"Confused," I offered as I turned my eyes to his and he nodded.

"That is understandable," he said and the first vampire turned and quickly left the room. I started to sit up, but decided against it when my head swam. It was then that I realized that I wasn't wearing my clothes. I was wearing a warm long sleeved cotton nightdress that was soft against my skin. "We removed your wet clothing to prevent hypothermia." My face flamed with a blush, embarrassed that he had seen me naked and that he had seen the jagged scars on my stomach.

"Oh," I said and he offered another kind smile.

"My wife removed your clothing and dressed you before I tended to you. I am a doctor, but from what Edward told me about you I wanted to respect your modesty."

"Thanks," I said weakly as a dull throb made its presence known in the back of my head. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Here, these are for the pain," he said and I opened my eyes to see him placing two tablets and a glass of water on the low table next to where I laid. I maneuvered my arm from the blankets and I popped the pills into my mouth. I quickly swallowed them with a mouthful of water before I tucked my arm back under the blanket where it was warm.

"Harper?" came Paul's voice and relief washed through me. The vampire may have been nice, but Paul was who I really wanted. He would make me feel better than any sort of medication the vampire doctor could give me.

"Paul," I said and he was quick to my side sitting down on the edge of the sofa I laid on and I took my hand out of the blankets only to have him quickly take my hand into both of his. I noticed then that the vampire left the room, leaving Paul and I alone.

"You have got to be the stupidest . . .," he trailed off and shook his head before he leaned in, kissed me chastely, and rested his forehead against mine. "Don't you ever go into the woods again without me or Sam or Jared or one of the other guys." He lifted his head and brought his right hand to my face. "Promise me that you won't."

"I promise I won't," I said and he removed his hand from my face. "I was just so angry and I knew he wouldn't think to look for me in the woods. I didn't mean to go as far as I did, but I got myself lost before I even realized it. Do you know what happened?"

"Jason came to my place looking for you," he said. "He was pretty pissed off."

"I'm not going back there," I said as I sat up fully and the hot water bottle that laid on my stomach fell into my lap along with the blankets.

"Harper," Paul said but I shook my head.

"I'm not. Clarissa's got his head all twisted and he's going to try and stop me from seeing you," I said.

"Harper, Jason knows he messed up," Paul said quickly and I sighed heavily before I ran a hand through my still damp hair. "He feels terrible and when he realized that you weren't with me, he was worried that something happened to you."

"Yeah, well, I really don't care right now," I said. "I may not have told him we were seeing each other right away, but I've never given him a reason not to trust me." I sighed again and shook my head. "Can we not talk about him anymore? I'm getting upset all over again."

"How are you feeling?" he asked, effectively changing the subject.

"I've got a bit of a headache and I'm sore all over, but other than that I'm fine," I said lightly as I laced my fingers with his. "Paul, can I ask you something?" He nodded and I took a deep breath before I asked the question that had been in the back of my mind since the vampire found me. "I thought you hated the Cullens, why did you ask them to help you look for me?"

"I didn't," he snarled, more at the idea I assumed then at me. "I had to get their permission to cross the treaty line so I could look for you, and Jake told me that the leeches wanted to help." His grip on my hand tightened. "A human's scent is like a homing beacon to them but it's not very clear to us."

"So if it hadn't been for them you wouldn't have found me as quickly as you did," I said and he gave me a curt not. "We should thank them."

"Why?" he asked sharply and I rolled my eyes.

"Because I probably wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for them." I laughed lightly and shook my head. "It's sort of funny that my first ever run in with a vampire resulted in it saving me instead of killing me."

"You know, you're a little too good with weird for my liking," Paul said and I smiled at him before Paul suddenly tensed and turned to look over his shoulder. My eyes followed his and I saw the second male vampire enter the room with a woman vampire that carried a small bundle in her hands and a soft smile on her face.

The woman's hair was dark brown and her pale face was the epitome of perfection. Paul hadn't been exaggerating when he said that vampires were beautiful and alluring; perfect tools for them to draw in their prey. They drew closer and like the two men, the woman's eyes were the same vibrant honey color. Paul quickly let go of my hand as he stood and took a protective stance next to where I sat on the sofa. I sighed quietly and raised my right hand to his left before I gave his hand a firm squeeze. From what Seth told me about the Cullens, I knew they wouldn't hurt me. However, Paul didn't like them at all and it was easy to see he wanted them as far away from me as possible.

"We've brought your clothes," the woman said kindly as she continued to smile at me and brought the bundle in her hands over to the sofa. It was then that I realized she was carrying my clothes that were now clean and dry. "The items that were in your pockets are on the table near the door along with your shoes."

"Thank you," I said and she nodded before she went back to the other vampire's side. "To both of you really," I said. "And the other . . . man. Paul said that the wolves scent doesn't carry over very well to humans and that it would have taken them longer to find me if he hadn't helped."

"We were glad to help," the male vampire said before he sent an anxious glance to Paul. I sighed as I tugged on his hand.

"Really, Paul, behave," I said. "If they were going to hurt me, they would have already." He looked down and at me like I had grown another head. "Technically we're guests in their house and it's not good manners to be so rude." The vampire couple laughed quietly but quickly muffled their laughter when Paul shot them a look.

"Are you ready to leave?" Paul asked when he returned his eyes to me.

"I don't want to go home," I said weakly. "Not right now."

"Jake's going to take us to Sam and Emily's," Paul said. "Sam already left and Emily's going to have a hot bath and some fresh clothes for you."

"Why?" I asked and he sighed as he looked back at the couple and then slowly looked back at me. He opened his mouth to answer when the woman vampire beat him to it.

"Our scent repulses him," she said and I looked away from Paul and at her, "and right now that's all he can smell."

"Oh," I said.

"Before you leave, I would like to check her over one more time to make sure she doesn't need to see her physician," the male vampire said. He was speaking to Paul, but his words concerned me, so, I answered him.

"That's fine," I said. "Once I'm dressed you can do that." Paul's grip tightened on my hand, but I didn't look at him. I just gave a small smile to vampire couple and they nodded before they left the room and closed the door behind them.

"Get dressed so we can get out of here," Paul said as he slowly pulled his hand away. He walked to the door and I expected him to leave but he simply stood in front of it with his arms crossed and his back to me.

"Um, are you going to wait out in the hall?" I asked and he shook his head, but kept facing away from me.

"No, I'm waiting right here," he said. "Don't worry, I won't look."

"All right," I breathed before I slowly climbed from the comfortable sofa and stood on shaky legs. I felt like I had ran a ten mile marathon and it took me far longer to get dressed than it should have. Once I folded the nightdress and sat it on top of the blankets I looked at Paul. "I'm ready." Paul turned around then and uncrossed his arms before he gave me a small smile and held out his left hand to me. As quickly as I could without tripping over my own feet, I walked over to him and took his hand.

"Once we're at Sam and Emily's and you're cleaned up, we need to talk," he said and the serious tone of his voice didn't sit well with me. As he guided me from the room, I was suddenly very afraid of what the next few hours were going to bring.


	20. Chapter 20

Hello everyone! Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. I've been mulling over posting it since Thursday because I'm not sure if I like how this chapter unfolded. I've edited and toyed with it for the last two days and I'm not so sure it's my best work. A lot's been going on lately and I haven't been able to focus on my writing as much as I like to. Please let me know what you think. Oh, thanks for reading and for all of your reviews. Like I mentioned, I'm going through some rough real life stuff and they always manage to make me smile. Thanks again!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight _series.

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Chapter 20

I was standing in Sam and Emily's guest room drying my hair with a towel as I sat on the bed dressed in a pair of sweat pants and an old t-shirt that we had stopped to pick up from Paul's place. When we got there Emily had ushered me upstairs and into the bathroom where I promptly washed myself as thoroughly as I could to make sure to clean the vampires' scent from my skin. Emily had taken my clothes to put them in a bag so I could rewash them at home. While I had been in the tub, Paul had gone somewhere with Sam and I had been too on edge to be any sort of company for Emily and DJ, so, I settled myself in the small guest room that held no more than a twin size bed, a small nightstand with a lamp, a tall dresser, and a wood dining chair in the corner of the room.

When my hair was as dry as I was going to get it, I sat down on the bed and played with the damp towel in my hands. Paul had been quiet from the moment we had left the Cullen house. I didn't know what had been going through his head, but I had come up with various scenarios that had me on edge. Sighing, I stood from the bed and draped the towel over the back of the chair for it to dry a little while I kept myself locked away. I glanced out the window as I started back towards the bed and saw that the rain hadn't started yet. It had stopped raining shortly after we left the Cullen's house, but there was still overcast so the rain could start again any minute.

I had no more sat back down when the bedroom door opened. I practically held my breath when I saw Paul walk through the door. He was fully dressed now in a pair of loose fitting blue jeans and a faded dark blue t-shirt. His short hair wasn't wet anymore and his face looked far more tired than he had when I saw him almost two hours earlier. He closed the door gently behind him and I watched him for a second as he leaned back against the dark wood before I looked away from him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Fine," I said softly as I turned my eyes on the wood floor at my feet. I heard him walk over to me and sat down on the bed next to me, settling his large frame on the right side of me and his body heat instantly started to fight off the chill I was still feeling despite the long hot bath I had taken.

"Look, Harper, I need to talk to you about something," Paul said and I looked at him then. My worry must have shown on my face because he gave me a small smile before he reached out with his hand and tucked my hair behind my ear.

"What is it, Paul, because I've been worrying myself sick thinking of the various things you'd want to talk to me about," I said, my voice sounding tight and stressed even to my own ears. He lowered his hand from my face and took my right hand into his left, lacing our fingers together and holding my hand tight.

"I talked it over with Jacob when we were at the Cullen's and then Sam to get their thoughts on the whole thing but neither one of them was much help," he said and I was starting to get annoyed. "I just have to figure out the best way to go about this."

"Paul, I swear if you don't tell me what the hell you're dancing around I'm going to scream," I said and he sighed before he gave my hand a squeeze.

"I don't know if I'll make it through it, but we have to try until Jason calms down about everything," he said simply, as if he was excepting me to understand what he was getting at by that sentence alone.

"I don't understand," I said when he didn't expand on his declaration.

"We need to stop seeing each other, at least until after your birthday," he said and my eyes widened while my heart sunk to my feet.

"You can't be serious," I breathed, feeling like everything was coming undone around me.

"It won't be for long," Paul said quickly as his grip tightened on my hand. "Your birthday's in three and a half weeks and we can pick up right where we left off."

"Why do you want to do this? Why?" I asked. It was bad enough just going a few days without seeing him in person. Talking to him on the phone when I didn't see him didn't do much to fill the hole that always seemed to settle in my chest lately when he wasn't around. Paul sighed as he shook his head and shifted on the bed so his left leg was bent and resting in between our bodies. He pulled my hand closer to him and rested it on his bent leg.

"I don't _want_ to do this, Harper, but it's the only thing I can think of that will get Jason off your back for a while," he said. His reasoning was stupid. I could handle Jason, but I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to handle not seeing or talking to him until the end of October.

"It's only going to end up hurting both of us. I don't care what Jason, Clarissa, or anyone else thinks. All that matters is how we feel about each other and that we know the truth," I said, tears lining my eyes and readying to make their descent down my cheeks.

"Nothing is going to change between us, Harper. We're still going to be together; we just won't see each other every day or talk until your birthday." I shook my head as my tears finally fell from my eyes. "I love you," he said in a heavy breath as he brought our joined hands to his chest and rested them over his heart.

"Then why are you doing this?" I asked him as my sadness turned to anger. I jerked my hand from his grip and stood from the bed, my hands balled into fists at my sides. "Fight for me damn it!"

"I am! Harper, don't you see that I'm doing this for you?" he asked with a frown on his face as he stood from the bed.

"How is breaking up with me fighting for me?" I asked. My voice was raised so loud that I heard it echo back at me in the small room.

"I'm not breaking up with you!" Paul roared his face a mask of surprise at my words.

"Then what do you call what you're doing?"

"I'm trying to help you," Paul said.

"Give me a straight answer, Paul, because nothing you've said to me in the last five minutes is making any sense!"

"I don't want your relationship with Jason to change because of me!" Paul shouted. "I don't want you to lose that bond because I came into your life. He's your brother and he should be one of the most important people in your life. He's all you've got in this world, Harper."

"He's all I've got?" I asked and Paul nodded. His words deflated my anger and left me feeling small and unwanted. I knew then that I had been right in the beginning to question everything between us. I didn't understand how or why he would think that taking a break in our relationship was going to save my relationship with Jason. It wasn't even broken. We had only argued and it wasn't anything that normal families didn't do on a regular basis. However, Paul was pushing me away. He was pushing me away without a care because he realized that I really wasn't worth the trouble, and it took him four months and an argument to figure it out.

"I . . . I thought I had you, Paul. Don't I have you too?" I managed to ask rather weakly. His face turned unreadable as he looked at me, and he didn't even bother to answer my question as he just stared at me. "Right," I said softly before I grabbed the bag that held my clothes from the floor and walked out of the room. Sam and Jared were standing by the front door and talking quietly when I reached the foyer and I wiped at my tears as I looked at Jared. "Can you take me home?"

"What happened?" Sam asked, but I ignored him and kept my eyes on Jared.

"Jared, can you take me home; please?" I begged and he glanced at Sam before he nodded and gently took my arm. He led me out to his truck and I climbed in feeling numb to everything around me. Nothing was ever going to be the same again.

* * *

The radio was playing quietly and other than the hum of the engine that was the only other noise in the cab of Jared's truck as Jared drove me home. I couldn't talk if I wanted to because I felt like if I opened my mouth, I'd either throw up or break down into unrelenting sobs. I was looking straight ahead and out the windshield. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jared's hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white as he drove. I knew he had probably heard most of Paul's and my conversation and that he had a million questions; but he kept them to himself and I was glad for it.

We pulled into the driveway and thankfully Clarissa's car wasn't in the driveway any longer, but Jason and my truck were. Jared pulled his truck up next to Jason's and put the truck in park before he looked at me. However, I kept my eyes ahead. I couldn't look at Jared properly without thinking about Paul, and I wouldn't be able to hold back the tears from falling if I did.

"Are you all right?" Jared asked and I nodded.

"Fine," I managed. "Thanks for the ride home." I grabbed my bag from the seat between us and started to open the truck door only to have Jared's words stop me.

"He loves you, Harper, and he's just trying to protect you," Jared tried to assure me, but it was a load of crap.

"If he loved me, he wouldn't push me away because I got into one stupid fight with my brother," I said tightly. My throat was closing in and the tears were getting harder to hold back.

"I know," Jared said, "and this is definitely at the top of the list of the stupidest things he's ever done, but he means well. I bet you that you'll hear from him before Monday and everything will be right again."

"I don't ever want to see him again," I said forcefully as I finally gathered my courage and looked at Jared. "You can tell him that. If I'm so easy for him to throw away, then I'm not going to give him another chance to do it again."

"Harper, you don't mean that," Jared said.

"Yes I do," I said before I climbed from the truck and slammed the door loudly behind me. I ran to the house and up the porch steps before I busted into the house, slamming that door behind me. Jason stood from the sofa and dropped the television remote onto the coffee table as I leaned against the door to support myself since my legs felt like jelly all of a sudden. I looked at my brother and my tears started to fall. He looked haggard and like he had been through hell. His short auburn hair stuck up every which way, like he had been constantly running his hands through it, and he was wearing different clothes than he had been that morning.

"Harper, what's wrong?" he asked and a loud sob escaped my lips before I dropped my bag and ran to him. I threw my arms around his neck as I sobbed into his shoulder. His arms were around me instantly; his left hand settling on my back and his right on the back of my head. "Hey, it's okay," he breathed into my hair as he started to gently rock me. "Shh," he said before he started rubbing small circles on my back, but I couldn't stop crying. I was lost in my broken heart and I wasn't finding my way back.

* * *

I wasn't sure when I had crawled into bed, but I hadn't been there for very long because my face was still damp from my tears and my head pounded like a drum as I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair. I sighed and looked around the room. The sun was still up because the cloud filtered light shined through my open curtains, and when I looked at the clock I saw that it was just after four in the afternoon. I climbed from the bed then, determined to get something to stop the pounding in my head and a glass of juice to get rid of the cotton mouth I had going on. I had just reached the living room when I heard Jason's raised voice coming from the kitchen.

"I don't know what happened, Sam, why don't you tell me? Harper hasn't said a word, all she's done is cry in my arms for twenty minutes before she passed out cold," Jason's voice boomed and I stopped short and listened as Jason yelled at Sam. "You know what; I'm tired feeling like I'm being kept in the dark about things and now it's involving my sister. I don't need this shit and neither does Harper. I quit." I heard him slam the cordless phone down so hard that I was pretty sure we'd have to get a new one. I took a deep breath before I walked through the living room and into the kitchen to see Jason standing at the counter, gripping the granite for dear life as he glared out the patio window.

"Jason?" I asked and his body relaxed a bit as he turned to his left and looked at me.

"How long were you standing there?" he asked and I walked further into the kitchen.

"Long enough to know that you just quit your job," I said before I went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of apple juice before I moved to the cupboard where we kept the pain relievers.

"I'll get another one," he assured me and I nodded my head as I poured two pills into my hand and took them with a swig of my juice. "Harper, what happened?"

"He broke up with me," I said simply, not wanting to think too much of it.

"Why?" Jason asked. I really didn't think he wanted to know, so, I saw no foul in not telling him the truth.

"I don't really know," I said as I looked at the bottle of juice in my hands. I took another drink to try and swallow the lump that was forming in my throat. I looked at Jason and he looked just as confused as I felt, but he offered me a sympathetic smile before he walked over to me.

"I'm sorry, Harper," he said as he put an arm around my shoulders in a half hug. I laughed bitterly as I turned my face into his shoulder and willed away the tears that were threatening to fall. "Looks like we're both back on the market again, huh?" he asked before he kissed the top of my head and I frowned as I raised my head and looked at him.

"What are you talking about?" I asked and he sighed as he slid his arm away from me and leaned back against the counter, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.

"I broke things off with her after I got back from . . . when I got back to the house this morning after I realized you ran off into the woods," he said as he looked at me. That left me speechless. I had absolutely no clue what to say to him, so, I just stared at him with my surprise clear as day on my face. "The more I thought about it on the drive back home the more I realized that even though Clarissa had been fun, she wasn't right for me. She was always saying something about you, and I'd brush it off. I'd ignore her because I never took anything she said seriously until she started talking about your relationship with . . ., well about your relationship." He was refraining from saying his name and I appreciated that. It was hard for me to even think it right then.

"Which she had no business meddling with in the first place," I finally managed and Jason gave me a tight lipped smile.

"No, she didn't," he said. "And I'm sorry for letting what she said get to me. I think both of our days would have ended a lot differently if I hadn't." I nodded and took another drink of my juice.

"I'm going to go to bed now, Jason," I said. "I'm tired and I've got a bit of homework to do tomorrow."

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked and I shook my head negatively.

"No, I'm fine," I said before I walked out of the kitchen, through the living room, and into my bedroom. I pulled down the covers of my bed and crawled in, snuggling around my pillow. It was then that his scent washed over me and I remembered that I was still wearing Paul's clothes. The tears started to fall again as I brought the collar of the shirt up to my nose. It smelt just like him, and I had no plans on taking those clothes off until Monday morning when I had to get ready for school.

* * *

"Don't take this the wrong way, Harper, but you look like shit," Trevor said when I sat down next to him for first period on Monday. I'd been running late that morning and had just made it into class before the bell had run. "Too much celebrating this weekend after your brother broke up with the Wicked Witch?" he asked with a big smile on his face. Clarissa may have been his cousin, but Trevor wasn't her biggest fan and he knew that she treated everyone like dirt.

"No," I said with a humorless smile before I started to pull my things out of my bag for class. I knew I looked awful that morning. I hadn't bothered to shower that morning since I had taken one before I went to bed and I had threw my hair up rather messily in a bun on the back of my head and my outfit that day wasn't exactly the most flattering since I was wearing one of Jason's old USC sweatshirts and black yoga pants. I hadn't felt like trying very hard that morning, especially since Paul hadn't even tried to call me on Sunday. I was starting to regret telling Jared to tell him I never wanted to see him again.

"Hey, Harper, what's wrong?" Trevor asked as he gently grabbed my wrist and stopped me from reaching into my bag to get my notebook. I looked at his face then and felt completely defeated. I hadn't wanted to get out bed this morning, but I had a test later in the afternoon that I couldn't miss.

"Everything," I managed before the tears started falling again. Panic flashed across Trevor's face before he quickly pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arm around me as I started to quietly cry. I had thought I ran out of tears, but no such luck.

"Mr. Harrington!" I heard Trevor say quickly. "I need to take Harper to the nurse. She's not feeling too well." I hadn't heard the reply, but Trevor gently pushed me back. "Come on, Harper, get your things," Trevor whispered and I nodded before I did as he said. The two of us walked through the emptying corridor. "Okay, we'll walk real slowly on our way to the nurse and you can tell me what the hell is going on."

"My boyfriend broke up with me," I said as I looked at the tiled floor beneath our feet and wiped at my eyes. I heard Trevor's sharp take of breath.

"Paul broke up with you?" he asked and I winced at his name but nodded all the same. Trevor grabbed my arm and brought me to a stop before he put both of his hands on my shoulders. I looked up at him and frowned when I saw the serious look on his face. "Did Clarissa have something to do with it?" he asked.

"She said something about our relationship on Saturday morning, which led to Jason and I getting into a fight," I said. "P-he broke up with me because he felt he was getting in between Jason and me. At least that's the reason he gave, I think he just came to his senses and figured he could do better." I'd come to the conclusion that maybe he had finally taken my earlier advice from when we started our relationship and decided to try and ignore the imprint pull.

"Harper," Trevor said with a deep frown on his face. "I'm a guy right?" he asked and I scoffed at the obvious question and he smirked but pushed it away. "He's not going to find anyone better than you," he said with such authority that it surprised me. "I really like Anna, and I wouldn't trade her for the world, but you're a great girl too. The way he was with you at that cook out, it was pretty obvious that the guy is in love with you. I think he was telling you the truth."

"Well, since you're a guy can you tell me why he thinks that breaking things off is going to solve anything? Why didn't he fight for me?" I asked, hoping that he would be honest with me. He sighed as he lowered his hands from my shoulders.

"If I know my cousin, she probably had Jason convinced of some pretty twisted things," he said. "Clarissa's a jealous bitch and will do anything to knock someone down a step or two. You'd think with her being twenty-four she'd have grown out of the high and might faze, but she's been that way since she was twelve and hasn't looked back." I nodded, but remained silent while he continued. "To answer your question, I'm going to guess that he loves you enough to let you go so you don't lose the relationship you have with your brother because of the crap Clarissa probably fed him. I don't think he plans on letting you go for forever, but here's a question for you. Why don't you fight for him?"

"What?" I asked and he laughed.

"The guy doesn't have to be the one to fight for the girl all the time," Trevor said. "Sometimes the girl needs to fight for the guy. You let him let you go didn't you?" Trevor was right. I just took what _he_ said and ran with it. I didn't fight for him when I should have. _He_ would die for me, I knew he would, and I was stupid enough to just walk away.

"Are you sure you're only seventeen?" I asked and he laughed.

"Yeah, I can show you my birth certificate if you want," he said and I smiled a true smile since Friday. "Come on, act sick and we'll get the nurse to send you home so you can get your guy." I chuckled and nodded my head before I slumped against Trevor and we continued on to the nurse's office. I hoped my acting skills were up to par to fool the nurse, but I think my disheveled appearance would probably help with the illusion. After all, I hadn't eaten or slept very well since Saturday and I definitely looked the part.


	21. Chapter 21

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for the reviews and adds! I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one just as much. The next chapter will have more action, I swear. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think!

**PLEASE READ: **Also, I've entered a contest. My friend that introduced me to the world of Twlight found a contest she suggested I dabble in. If you do a search for the author FunWithYourClothesOn you'll see the contest rules and the C2 forum where all the entries are posted. Voting starts on the 21st, so, if you like my attempt please vote! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the Twilight series.

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Chapter 21

The nurse sent me home with little coaxing, apparently I looked worse than I thought I did. Trevor promised he'd get my homework for me and that he'd tell Anna to do the same since I shared my classes with both of them. I pulled out of the school parking lot and started driving. Trevor had ignited a fire in me to go and knock some sense into Paul, but the further I got away from the school the more the fire dimmed. I wasn't sure if I could go through with it. What if Trevor had been wrong and I had been right? What if Paul really didn't want to be with me anymore? Wouldn't I just be making a fool out of myself?

Sighing, I quickly pulled my truck over and put it in park as I took several deep breaths to try and calm my sudden nerves. I was a quarter of the way to La Push and the road was deserted. The only sounds around me were my heavy breathing and the sporadic chirping of the birds hidden in the trees of the forests that bordered the road. I closed my eyes as I leaned forward and rested my forehead on my hands as I gripped the steering wheel tightly. My heart was screaming at me to start the truck back up, drive, and go to him because it knew Trevor was right; while my head was telling me to turn the truck around, go home, and forget I had ever met him. I didn't know what to do, but I had to do something and if I did the latter, I knew I would end up regretting it because I loved him and he changed me for the better.

"Get a grip, Harper," I said as I lifted my head from my hands and started up the truck once more. "You can do this," I said as I pulled out onto the road and continued on to Paul's house. "He's worth fighting for isn't he?" I asked myself but I already knew the answer. He was.

When I pulled up in front of Paul's house, his truck was parked outside but that didn't mean he was home. Jared sometimes picked him up to go to a job site or he'd phase to head over to Sam and Emily's since it wasn't that far of a run for him in his wolf form. I climbed out of my truck and headed towards the house. I found myself mentally chastising myself for not dressing a little nicer that morning as I walked up the steps and stood on the porch. I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat, raised my hand to the door, and knocked. I waited a few seconds before I knocked again, but I still didn't get an answer. I tried to turn the doorknob out of curiosity and was surprised to find it unlocked. I opened the door slowly and went inside only to gasp at the sight in front of me.

Everything in Paul's house was thrown about the living room. It looked like it had been ransacked with the furniture tossed around and resting at odd angles in the room. The book case he had filled with a few books and DVDs was tipped on its side and the contents spilled on the floor. Nothing looked like it was missing though; everything was just tossed about the room. I quietly closed the door behind me and carefully maneuvered my way through the living room. I peeked into the small kitchen but found it in a similar state with broken dishes and glasses on the floor of the tiny room. I sighed and shook my head as I turned around and went over to Paul's bedroom door that was closed. I took a deep breath and opened the door to find his room was just as messy as the living room, however, it was occupied.

Paul's large form was laid out on the bare mattress. His right arm was bent and tucked close to his body while his left laid stretched out at his side and he was lying flat on his stomach. He was dressed in his trademarked cut offs and by the looks of the bottom of his feet he hadn't bathed lately. I walked into the room and over the discarded bed linens and clothes he had thrown about the room. I walked over to the right side of the bed and carefully sat down on the edge of the bed before I reached out and gently ran my fingers along the side of his face before I slid my fingers through his hair.

"Paul, wake up," I said softly and he took a deep breath through his nose before he lazily opened his eyes. He wasn't all the way awake yet, I could tell by the dazed look on his face but before I could say anything else I found myself lying on the bed next to him with his right arm wrapped around me tightly while his nose buried itself in my neck. His body practically covered mine and effectively pinned me to the bed. At first I was too shocked to move and confused as to how I had ended up in that position in the first place because I hadn't even registered his movements until I was lying under him. "Paul," I said as I gently pushed on his shoulder with my free left hand but he just held me tighter to him and it wasn't until I heard the soft snores escaping his lips and felt his deep breaths against my neck that I realized he had fallen back asleep.

I sighed quietly before I chuckled at the ridiculousness of the situation, but instead of trying to force him awake I just settled my left hand on his waist above his jeans and relaxed into the heat his body provided. He smelled a bit gamey, but at that moment I didn't care. I closed my eyes for a second to enjoy the feeling of just being held by him again, however, my body had other ideas and I found myself drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"Jeez!" a deep voice shouted and I let out a scream as I found myself bouncing off the bed and falling on to the floor, hitting my head on something as I landed. I rubbed the side of my head as I sat up and looked up at Paul who was still on the bed but sitting on his knees as he looked at me with confusion clear on his face.

"Hi," I said while I lowered my hand and got to my feet.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came to see you," I said as I adjusted my sweatshirt and rubbed at my head again since it was still stinging. "I tried to wake you up, but you just pulled me onto the bed and tucked me under you. I tried to wake you up again, but I gave up when you started snoring." He nodded before he frowned as he glanced at my hand.

"Did you hit your head?" he asked and I nodded as he quickly climbed from bed and stood right in front of me. He grabbed my hand and pulled it away from my head before he gently touched the sore spot on my head above my left ear. "Does it hurt?" he asked as his eyes were focused on his fingers in my hair but I couldn't answer him. I could only look up at his face. He looked as awful as I felt and despite just waking up he looked like he hadn't slept in awhile. When I didn't answer him after a few seconds, his eyes moved from his fingers that still gently moved against my head to my eyes. We locked eyes for a minute before he lowered his hand and took half a step back from me.

"Don't," I said as I reached out to him and grabbed him by the waist, my fingers digging into his heated skin. "You are so stupid to think that breaking things off with me was going to benefit anyone, and I was stupid to walk away and just let you do it. I don't care what anyone says about me or what Jason thinks. I don't care about anything other than you and I'm putting a stop to this. I won't let you hurt not only yourself but me too. It's been two days and I feel like I want to die and looking at the state of your house, I don't think you handled the last two days very well either."

"Harper," he breathed, sounding as if he was in pain, "I didn't mean to hurt you, and it wasn't my intention to break up with you. I just wanted to take a break so that Jason wouldn't fight you about seeing me."

"You did hurt me, Paul," I said the tears once again making their way to my eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"When you said you wanted to take a break, I thought that you decided to ignore the imprint," I said. "That dealing with all the crap that comes with me had finally taken its toll."

"I know you did," he said, "but that wasn't true and I let you believe it anyway because I knew that would push you away." I sighed as moved my hands from his waist and up to his face before I pulled his lips down to mine. I poured everything I was feeling into that kiss, and he hesitated for only a second before his hands were on my hips. He pulled my body tight to his as my arms went around his shoulders and my hands found their way into his short hair as our lips battled. The kiss didn't last long but it was a powerful one and it left me breathless as I pulled my lips from his.

"I'm not going to live my life without you in it," I said as I opened my eyes and he opened his. "You said that to me, remember?"

"I remember," he whispered as his right hand left my hip and moved to cup my face.

"Well, I'm not going to live my life without you in it, Paul," I said as I played with his hair. "When you told me you wanted to break up with me, I felt like everything around me was crumbling. I was going backwards and the nightmares . . ." I trailed off and his eyes darkened. "They were a little intense." Unlike before, my nightmares weren't of my past. They were nightmares of Paul telling me how worthless and pathetic I was while his arm was draped around Clarissa. In reality, I knew that they were just my subconscious bringing up all my fears and that Paul wouldn't even touch Clarissa with a ten foot pole, but they had been so real and the ache that had settled in my chest because of them was painful. "I went to school this morning feeling like the world was against me until Trevor knocked some sense into me. He told me the guy doesn't always have to fight for the girl and I'm going to fight you all the way because I'm not letting you push me away anymore."

"I'm not going to fight you, Harper," he said as he lowered his hand from my face and moved it back to rest on my waist. "I was wrong and I probably didn't help my case any with Jason."

"Paul, I've told you that I don't care what he thinks," I said. "Jason's my brother and he'll love me no matter what in the end. Sure, he probably won't be very happy for a while, but he'll get over it. I love you so much Paul, and no one is ever going to change that. Not even you."

"I'll never try to do it again," he promised and I smiled at him. "I love you too," he breathed before his lips were back on mine. He kissed me with such a force that I lost my footing and ended up falling against him, which caused him to fall back onto the bed with me crashing on top of him and straddle him in the process. Our laughter broke our kiss and when it quieted, Paul returned his hand to my face as he sighed. "Sam told me Jason quit." It was a weird subject change, but I let him change it.

"Yeah," I said from my position on top of him, "and he broke up with Clarissa."

"Really?" he asked and I nodded as I rested my hands against his bare chest and remained lying against him. His chest felt like hot stone covered by soft velvet and I had to fight the urge to place a kiss against his skin. "Harper, I really am sorry."

"I know, and you've got a lot of making up to do," I said and he raised an eyebrow as a smirk made its way across his lips while his hands slid down my backside to rest on the back of my thighs. I could feel his body heat seeping through the cotton fabric of my clothes and my stomach tightened into many knots as I watched him lick his lips.

"What do I have to do?" he asked and my face heated as I bit my lower lip to hold back my smile. His fingers dug a little further into my flesh and I managed to stifle the gasp that had threatened to escape.

"First . . ." I trailed off seductively as I started to lean into him and slid my hands up his chest. However, when my lips were a breath away from his I stopped. "I want you to clean up this mess you've made," I said before I pushed myself off of him and stood from the bed. He frowned as he raised himself up on his elbows and looked at me.

"What?" he asked and I laughed as I put my hands on my hips.

"Your place is completely trashed, Paul," I said. "Why did you do this?"

"I was angry at myself," he said. "I let you think that you weren't important when you're the most important person in my life." Those words right there had my heart begging me to forgive him completely, but as much as I loved him he had still hurt me and I wasn't going to forgive him completely yet. I felt I had the right to hold out just a little bit longer.

"We're going to try and put Saturday behind us," I aid and he nodded as he smiled at me. "Now, you need to clean this mess up and I need to go home. The nurse has probably already called Jason and told him I was on my way home and that was almost two hours ago," I said after I glanced at the clock on the wall.

"I was wondering why you weren't in school," Paul said after he sighed quietly and climbed from the bed.

"I was a bit of a mess this morning and Trevor brought me to the nurse when I started to have a small breakdown," I said and he sighed again before he raised his hands to my face. He pulled me into a kiss and I rested my hands against his chest as he softly kissed me.

"Leave your window cracked tonight when you go to bed," he whispered against my lips.

"Why?" I asked and he kissed me again.

"Please just do it," he said and I nodded as he pressed his lips to mine once more. "You should go home."

"Yeah," I said softly before I slipped from his arms and stepped back to look up at him. "Love you." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he opened his eyes and smiled at me.

"Love you," he said in return. With one last look at him, I left the bedroom and then maneuvered my way through the scattered furniture in the living room. It had started raining again and I sighed as I pulled the hood of Jason's sweatshirt up over my head and ran to my truck. Jason was probably going to give me the third degree about not being in school, but my fatigue was catching up with me. Now that I had things sort of back on track with Paul, all I wanted to do was sleep.

* * *

Thankfully, when I arrived home Jason's truck was gone. He had mentioned something about going down to the plant and seeing if they had any openings, so, I figured he was still there. I went into the house and locked the door behind me. The house was quiet as tossed my backpack on the floor by the door and I made my way into my bedroom. I pulled Jason's sweatshirt from my body leaving me in the white tank top I had worn underneath and draped it over the back of my desk chair while I pushed off my tennis shoes and then climbed into bed. I was just starting to drift off to sleep when I heard a loud bang come from the living room of the small house. I sat up, my heart racing as I held my breath and listened carefully as heavy footfalls echoed through the house towards my open bedroom door. I started to reach for my cell phone on the nightstand only to freeze and let out a sigh of relief when Jason stepped in front of the door.

"Are you trying to kill me by slamming around like that?" I asked as I collapsed back against my pillows and ran my shaking hands over my face. "I thought someone had broken in."

"Sorry," he said before he shrugged off his raincoat and sat it down in the hallway before he walked into my room and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Nurse Carter called me and left me a message that she sent you home. She said you were pale and had a slight fever." He reached out and pressed the back of his hand to my forehead and then my left cheek. "You're not warm now."

"I'm feeling a little better," I said. "When I got home I went straight to bed and fell asleep." Technically I wasn't lying since when I got to Paul's I did end up in bed and I did fall asleep for a while. He sighed as he looked at me with a furrowed brow and nodded his head.

"You're not getting sick from Saturday when you got caught in the rain are you?" he asked and I shook my head.

"No, I just haven't slept well and I haven't eaten in a while," I said and he sighed quietly.

"All right, I'm going to fix you some soup and I expect you to each it," he said as he stood and I smiled at him.

"If you could make that soup tomato and add a grilled cheese with it, I promise to eat every bite," I said and he chuckled before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"You got it," he said. When he left the room, I let out a sigh of relief that he hadn't been home when the nurse called. It didn't take him long to fix the food he promised and he had even brought it to me on a tray so I could eat in bed.

"Thanks," I said as I sat up against my headboard and he put the tray on my lap.

"You're welcome," he said. "So, how are you holding up?"

"Fine," I said as I cut the grilled cheese in half with the butter knife he had brought. "Better than yesterday," I added and he nodded as he sighed quietly. I felt bad for lying to him again, but I knew that if I told him that I had gone to Paul's and that the two of us were getting back together, he would not have been happy. "Jason," I said after I chewed and swallowed the bite of grilled cheese I had taken and he looked at me. "I think you should call Sam and tell him you want your job back."

"Why?" he asked with a frown.

"You went to the factory today didn't you?" I asked and he nodded. "Can you honestly tell me that you'd be happy working there?" He looked away from me. "Jason just because . . . just because I'm not seeing _him_ anymore doesn't mean you can't work with him."

"Harp, it's not just that," he said. "Sometimes I feel like I'm out of the loop when I'm with them. I can't quite explain it."

"Talk to them," I said. "They're your friends Jason. They'll understand." He gave me a tight lipped smile before he patted my leg.

"Maybe you're right," he said before he stood. "Eat and get some rest. I'm going to go into town. I won't be gone long." I nodded as I continued to eat and he left the room. I hoped he would talk to Sam and set things right. It would only make both our lives easier in the long run.

* * *

When I finished eating I had taken a nap and woke up a few hours later feeling ages better than I had before. I climbed out of bed and carried the tray out into the kitchen. Jason wasn't home yet, so, I washed my dishes and tucked the tray back into the cupboard. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was after three. I had grabbed the phone from the counter to call Trevor and Anna to see if they would bring my homework, but before I could even dial there was a knock on the front door. I frowned and put the phone back down on the counter before I walked through the living room and to the front door. I opened the door and put a smile on my face when I saw Trevor and Anna standing on the porch.

"Hey, I was just about to call you guys," I said and Anna let go of Trevor's hand before she threw her arms around me.

"Trevor told me! Are you okay?" she asked as she pulled back and had her hands on my shoulders and looked at me closely. That was what I loved about Anna. Now that I had cracked that shell of hers, more and more of her true personality came out everyday.

"I'm okay," I told her as I pulled her hands off of me and ushered her and a smiling Trevor inside. "I went and talked to Paul," I said as I closed the door.

"And?" Trevor asked as he took Anna's hand again and I smiled at him. His smile widened and he nodded, satisfied that I was no longer a blubbering mess.

"Um, do you guys want to fill me in on what I'm missing?" she asked and I laughed as I pulled her away from Trevor and dragged her over to the sofa with Trevor following as he too laughed.

"We're working things out," I said and she gave me a small smile.

"Really?" she asked as she adjusted her glasses and I nodded.

"But when you guys talk to Jason, you can't mention it," I said. "I don't want Jason to know yet."

"Okay," Anna said and Trevor nodded.

"Thanks," I said before I let out a sigh. "So, what did I miss?" I asked and Anna was quick to pick up her backpack from the floor to pull out the detailed notes she had taken for me as well as the homework assignments I missed. As she started rattling off everything, I glanced at Trevor to see him smiling at Anna in a way that was oddly familiar. It wasn't the same smile he gave me or when he was horsing around with the guys. He was as far from Quileute as a guy could get, but yet the smile that was on his face was almost painfully similar to the smile Sam gave Emily, Jared gave to Kim, and Paul gave to me. Anna was Trevor's forever; there was little doubt in my mind about that.

Funny thing was that even though they were dating, I didn't think Anna really noticed the way Trevor looked at her; but one day soon she would and her life was never going to be the same. I knew mine hadn't been the same since the day I literally stumbled into my own forever.


	22. Chapter 22

Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but I hope this mega long chapter makes up for it. Thank you all so, so much for your reviews and adds! They really do make my day and to know that you guys are enjoying the story so much only makes me want to write even more. Okay, I'll shut up now. Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 22

Later that night I was dozing off as I laid in bed with my arms wrapped securely around my pillow and wrapped tightly in the sheets and comforter. I had left my window cracked a bit like Paul had asked, but it was freezing out that night and it was sort of chilly in the room. I was somewhere in between asleep and awake when a burst of cold air rushed into the room. My eyes opened instantly and I raised my head to see a broad figure climbing in through the window. I figured it was Paul, but the fear settled in my chest all the same as my heart started to pound before the figure froze halfway into the room and his shadow covered head lifted and he looked in my general direction.

"It's okay, Harper; it's just me," came Paul's voice in a gentle whisper and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding until then. I glanced at my bedroom door and was even more relieved when I remembered that I had already closed it. I sat up in bed and turned on the light that rested on the nightstand while Paul finished climbing into my room and closed the window tightly behind him. I ran my hand over the top of my head, smoothing my pulled back hair down a bit, but it was pointless since it was probably a mess anyway.

"So, you're sneaking into my room now?" I asked in a whisper and he smiled at me before he raised his right index finger to his lips and quietly walked over to my bedroom door and listened carefully. "He's asleep. If we whisper, he won't hear us." Paul looked at me and smiled before he walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of the bed. I felt a little exposed in the pale pink camisole I was wearing, but it wasn't any more revealing than the tank tops or bathing suit he had already seen me in. Plus, I was wearing my gray flannel pajama pants that covered Paul's favorite part of my body.

"You look better," he said softly as he reached out and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

"So do you," I said as I caught his hand in both of mine when he lowered it from my face. I settled his hand in my lap while both of my hands held onto his much larger hand rather firmly. "Jason mentioned he talked to Sam, but he didn't tell me much more than that. He came home when I was in the bathroom getting ready for bed and he had this stupid smile on his face. Do you know what happened?" Paul chuckled as he gently shook his head and turned his hand in mine and laced his fingers with my right hand while my left covered our joined hands.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Now you can't say something like that and expect me to let it go," I said and he smirked. "Come on, Paul, tell me," I said as I scooted closer to him and bit my lip as I tilted my head to the side, my ponytail falling over my shoulder. If he wouldn't out right tell me, maybe I could tease it out of him. His smirk melted from his face as his eyes moved from mine and to my lips before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"You do _not _play fair, Harper," he said deeply and I freed my lip from my teeth as I smiled and he opened his eyes. "I was going to tell you, you know."

"Sure you were," I said as I moved even closer to him, the blankets bunching up between our bodies. "Now spill."

"Seth and Embry were at Sam's when Jason showed up," Paul said and I nodded. "Well, Seth's sister, Leah, swung by to tell Seth that their mom expected them home for dinner with her and Charlie."

"Seth has a sister?" I asked with a frown and it was Paul's turn to nod. "How come I haven't met her?"

"She doesn't come around Sam's place unless she absolutely has to," Paul said. "She and Sam were practically engaged when Sam changed." My mouth made an 'o' shape when I realized what he meant. "Emily's Seth and Leah's cousin and when Sam met Emily one day . . ." he trailed off and I understood what he was trying to say.

"Oh, that's awful," I said and Paul nodded.

"Sam felt terrible about the whole thing and at first Leah didn't know anything about the whole wolf thing yet. She pretty much became a bitter bitch," Paul said and I raised my left hand and smacked his arm. However, I think I hurt myself more than him because my hand stung like I had hit a brick wall and I shook off the pain before I settled my hand back over our still joined hands.

"That's not a nice thing to say," I chastised. "She had her heart broken."

"It's true though and she'd be the first to tell you that," he said and I rolled my eyes. "She's part of the pack too."

"Really?" I asked and he nodded. When I had wanted to learn more about the Quileute legends, the transformations only ever talked about the warriors being the ones that changed and women weren't warriors. I had just assumed that the Quileute women didn't carry the gene.

"First girl as far as the Elders know," Paul said. "It's been a long time since we all first transformed and she was still pissed about the whole thing."

"How come? She understood the whole Sam leaving her thing then didn't she?" I asked and he nodded. I knew that probably wasn't a cure for her broken heart, but it would have helped her see that Sam didn't leave her by choice. Emily was his other half and the pull was far too strong to ignore. I knew that from firsthand experience, two times over.

"Yeah, but she still didn't like it and up until this afternoon she and the rest of us were pretty much convinced that she wasn't ever going to imprint," he said as he started rubbing his thumb along my hand, just under my thumb. However, I frowned when his words sunk in.

"Wait, you said until this afternoon you guys never thought she would imprint?" I asked more than said and he nodded as the smirk returned to light up his face. Suddenly everything clicked into place and my eyes widened as a gasp escaped my lips. "You've got to be kidding me," I breathed and he shook his head negatively.

"Nope," Paul said, popping the 'p' as he did so.

"Oh my gosh," I said. "She imprinted on _Jason_?" I stressed and his smirk turned into a smile as he nodded. "Wow."

"I know," he said as he started laughing quietly. "Embry said her face was priceless. I wish someone would have had a camera handy because I would have loved to see her face in person, but I got to see it when I did a quick patrol with Embry."

"What happened?" I asked, still reeling from Paul's news.

"Well, from what I got from Embry when she came in through the patio door Jason and Sam were sitting at the dining room table talking while Seth and Embry were raiding the kitchen since Emily was upstairs with DJ," Paul said. He'd started calling Daniel 'DJ' thanks to me. "He looked up and she looked at him and they stared at each other for about five minutes before Leah made a noise and blushed. Your brother laid on the charm then after Sam quickly introduced them. Leah actually giggled at some lame joke he made. I mean, Leah _giggled_." I laughed at the perplexed look on his face.

"I take it Leah's not a giggler," I said and Paul chuckled and shook his head.

"Not by a long shot," he said. "I think the only time she ever smiled was when a smart ass comment got a rise out of someone. They're going on a date tomorrow night. Who knew your brother had game?" he asked and I rolled my head as I laughed quietly again. I did not want to think of my brother's 'game.' I was fine without knowing about it even though it was thrown in my face with Clarissa.

"So, does this mean that Jason will be let in on the secret?" I asked and he sobered up a bit as he smiled at me.

"Eventually, when Leah's ready," he said. "I had to jump the gun with you because, well, you know." I nodded and he let go of my hand only to raise his warm hand to the left side of my face. His palm covered the scar that marred my cheek and he ran his thumb under my eye. "Are we going to tell him we're seeing each other again?"

"I don't know," I said and he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine. He was effectively changing the subject from Jason to us, and I'd let him.

"Remember what happened the last time we didn't?" he asked and I closed my eyes. "I don't think it will go over as easily the second time around."

"I know," I breathed as I pulled my head back from his, but he kept his hand on my face. "How about we wait until the weekend? Sam, Emily, Kim, Jared, Trevor, and Anna over for dinner on Saturday," I said. "Jason will probably invite Leah and you can tag along with Jared, act like you wanted to see me. We can play it up like we're talking things through then."

"You're going to cook for all of us?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, completely ignoring my plan. I smiled and nodded my head.

"You know I can cook," I said and he grinned.

"True, but you'll be feeding four shape shifters that could probably eat everything in your fridge and cupboards and still be hungry," he said.

"Don't worry, I'll make plenty," I said. "Now, do you think you can manage to look sheepish and ask to talk to me when you come over?" He nodded before he leaned in and kissed me chastely.

"I think I'll be able to manage that," he said before he kissed me again but not as chaste as the first kiss.

I sighed against his lips and rested my left hand on his forearm as he still held my head in his hands and brought my right hand to rest on his left shoulder. I wasn't sure how it happened, but as the kiss continued I found myself lying back on my bed with Paul's impressive form covering mine. Our clothes and the blankets remained between us, but hands were exploring and when his left hand cupped my right breast and squeezed, I gasped and pulled my lips away from his as reality came crashing down on me.

"Now's probably not the best time and/or place to go much further," I breathed as I wrapped my hand around his wrist and looked up at him. He sighed as he quickly pulled his hand away and sat up, returning to his perch on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry, Harper," he said as he ran his hands through his hair and looked at me with a flushed face. However, I just smiled at him and shook my head as I sat up and moved closer to him. He looked down and away from me as his breathing remained heavy and I knew he was trying to reign himself in.

"Quit saying you're sorry," I said as I raised my right hand to his face and turned his chin so he was looking at me instead of the floor. "If Jason wasn't just a hair's breath away from where we are right now, I wouldn't have stopped you." I moved even closer and brought both of my hands to his face, holding his eyes to mine. "I love you," I said smiling and he slowly smiled in return, "and since Jason will undoubtedly be occupied with Leah and his own suddenly blossoming love life, we'll have plenty of moments where it will be just you and me." I slid my hands down his face and rested them on his shoulders, holding onto the tight and firm muscles that rested there. "We'll be able to take full advantage of them."

"What do you have in mind?" he asked as his right arm wrapped around me, raising me slightly from the bed as he pressed me tightly to his chest. My smile returned as I kissed him chastely.

"Nothing really, but I'm sure we'll think of something." He chuckled before he kissed me softly and brought his left hand to the back of my head. While we kissed, he tugged at my hair and soon he had freed my hair from my hair tie and buried his fingers in my hair, which secured my face to his. I whimpered when our tongues met and he growled as he pulled his lips away and pressed his forehead against mine.

"Okay, I should go," he said and I nodded while our heads remained pressed together. "Thanks for leaving you window open. I just had to see you again. I needed to make sure you coming to my place this morning hadn't been a dream," he said as he lifted his head from mine. I smiled at him and returned my hands to his face. I knew that if I had never met Paul that I would probably still be afraid of the world. I didn't know what I did to deserve him, so, I let him know just that.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you, but thank you for loving me," I said and his brow furrowed as he looked at me. It was then that I realized my vision was blurry and tears had undoubtedly lined my eyes. I blinked them away and was silently thankful that they didn't fall.

"Baby, you never have to thank me for that or for anything," he said as he slid his arm from around me and brought both his hands to my wrists. He gently pulled my hands from his face and held my hands tightly in his. "If anything, I'm the lucky bastard in this relationship." I laughed then and he smiled before he leaned in and kissed me chastely. "Get some sleep, Harper, you've got classes tomorrow," he said and I nodded. He let go of my hands and stood up from the bed. He started towards the window and paused before he turned around and looked at me with a small smile. "Love you," he said and I smiled.

"Love you too," I said back and with that he opened the window, slipped out, and closed it tightly behind him. I sighed quietly and turned off the light before I laid back down and wrapped my arms once more around my pillow. A smile tugged at my lips as I closed my eyes. Soon Jason would know everything and not only that he would undoubtedly be as happy with Leah as I was with Paul.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Harper?" Jason asked as he picked up a piece of the sliced green pepper that rested on my cutting board and I laughed.

"It's a little late to be asking me that question, don't you think?" I asked with a small smile. "Everyone will be here any minute and I'm already elbow deep in chopping." He smiled as he shrugged and reached for another piece of pepper before I smacked his hand away. "You keep eating them and I won't have any to cook."

"Sorry," he said with a grin as he raised his hands.

"So, I finally get to meet Leah today," I said, bringing up the subject for the first time that morning. I had been giving him a hard time since they had gone out with each other every single night that week leading up to our dinner together. Jason had also started working again with Sam, which was good. He hadn't talked to Paul unless it was absolutely necessary from what Paul had told me, but he was civil with him.

"Be nice to her, Harper," Jason said with a serious look on his face and I rolled my eyes.

"She's Seth's sister," I said easily, "of course I'll be nice to her." Jason opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Get that will you? I've got to finish chopping up these vegetables." Jason sighed before he did as I asked and left the kitchen to answer the door.

"Hey Harper!" came Anna's voice as she rushed into the kitchen and I looked up from the onion I was cutting and smiled at her through the tears that filled my stinging eyes.

"Hi," I said with a laugh and she smiled at me. "Don't mind me. The onions get me every time." She smiled and shook her head before she pulled the sleeves of her dark brown sweater up to her elbows.

"What can I do to help?" she asked and I opened my mouth to protest but she just shook her head and walked over to the sink. "No arguments. You've got a lot of people coming over and you can use a hand or two."

"Thanks," I said as I wiped at my eye with the back of my wrist and smiled at her while she washed her hands. "Would you mind checking the chicken and the potatoes for me?"

"No problem," Anna said before she set to work with me. A chuckle alerted us to the fact that we were being watched and I looked up to see Trevor standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and a grin on his face. "What are you laughing at?" Anna asked when she finished her task and Trevor uncrossed his arms as he smiled at her.

"Nothing, it's just weird to see you both in the kitchen," he said. "So, what are we having? It looks like you're cooking for thirty people."

"You know Jared and Sam eat a lot, and if I remember right, you put away your fair share at the cook out," I said and Trevor had the grace blush as he smiled at me. "We're having baked barbeque chicken, sautéed vegetables, and mashed potatoes," I said and he nodded. "Why don't you go in the living room with Jason," I told him. "Isn't there a Mariners game on tonight or something?"

"Not until seven," he said through a chuckle. "It's only five, and there's really no point in watching it since they've got no chance to go to the playoffs."

"Aren't fans supposed to love their teams no matter the records?" I asked and Trevor rolled his eyes.

"Leave it to a girl to say something like that," he said before he swiped a vegetable from my cutting board and went into the living room.

"Everything looks good. The potatoes still have a little ways and the chicken is only starting to brown," Anna said with a smile on her face as she walked up to the counter next to me.

"Okay," I said before we heard another knock on the door. I put the knife down and smiled at Anna before I grabbed a paper towel and dried my hands as the two of us made our way through the kitchen and into the living room. Sam was there along with Emily who was holding DJ and another woman was with them that I didn't recognize. I assumed she was Leah.

Unlike the guys she wasn't freakishly tall, maybe an inch or so taller than me, or muscular and her silk like black hair hung down to her just above her shoulders. Her copper complexion was flawless and even though I could only see her profile, I knew she was beautiful. While Trevor greeted Emily and Sam I watched as Leah stood next to Jason, looking up at him adoringly while he smiled at her.

"Who's the girl with Jason?" Anna asked in a whisper as we stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. I looked at her and smiled.

"I think that's my brother's new girlfriend, Leah," I said and I swore Anna's eyebrows went clear up into her hair. "They met at Sam's when Jason went over to talk to him on Monday about getting back his job. They really hit it off because they've gone out every night this week. Jason didn't even get home until almost three this morning."

"How do you know?" she asked with a frown and I laughed.

"He woke me up whistling of all things," I said and Anna laughed loudly, which made our presence known. "Hi guys," I said with a bright smile before I walked over and took a squirming and well bundled DJ from Emily's arms. "How's my favorite little man?" I asked and he cooed and laughed before he clapped his covered hands. I laughed in return before I kissed his cheek and gave him back to Emily so she could get him out of his coat and things.

"Kim and Jared are running a little bit late, but they shouldn't be too long," Emily said and I nodded. "We brought his high chair and things, I hope that's okay."

"Please, Emily, it's more than okay," I said and she smiled before she walked over to the couch and laid him down to change him after setting down the diaper bag. I hugged Sam in greeting and he winked at me as he pulled away, which made me roll my eyes and laugh before he walked over to Emily, who was being assisted by Anna while Trevor stood off to the side.

"Harp," Jason said and I looked away from everyone and to my brother and Leah. Seeing her full on, I knew I had been right. She was very pretty in an exotic way that left me feeling slightly inferior. "Harper this is Leah; Leah this is my sister Harper."

"It's nice to meet you," I said as I held out my hand to her and she smiled as she shook my hand firmly. Like the guys, her skin was very, very warm.

"It's nice to meet you too," she said. "Seth and the guys have told me a lot about you, and of course Jason's mentioned you a time or two." I laughed and nodded. "Thanks for inviting me over."

"Well, I thought it only fair that we meet," I said and the two of shared a look that went undetected by my brother who had wrapped his arm around Leah's waist to pull her closer him. "You've got this one acting like a kid all over again. I woke up in the middle of the night to him whis-," I started but Jason interrupted me.

"Don't you have a dinner to finish?" Jason asked quickly and I smirked at my older brother before I held up my hands in defeat.

"All right, all right," I said and Leah laughed as she put a hand on Jason's chest.

"Be nice to your sister, Jason," Leah said and Jason sighed before he nodded. I rolled my eyes and shook my head before I quickly made my way back into the kitchen to finish getting everything together.

Anna hadn't followed me, but I didn't mind. She was a guest after all and I had decided to undertake the mission of a lifetime by trying to cook for everyone. There wasn't half as many people at my place that day than what Emily used to cook for on a daily basis and I wondered all the more how she did it. I was just getting ready to brush the sauce on the chicken and throw the vegetables in the pan when Jason's raised voice cut through the happy chatter in the living room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded and I knew then that Paul had arrived along with Jared and Kim. I stopped what I was doing and walked over to the door to see Jason glaring at Paul who stood next to Jared.

"I just want to talk to her," Paul said slowly.

"You want to talk to her? Too bad, I want you-," Jason started but I interrupted.

"Jason!" I said quickly and he looked at me, hell everyone was looking at me and I blushed. "I want to talk to him too."

"What?" he asked with a frown and I let out a heavy sigh as I glanced at Paul. Everyone in the room, but Jason knew that Paul and I had already fixed things and I was doing my best acting I could muster to make it seem like it hurt to see Paul standing there. Trevor was threatening to laugh, but he stopped the second Anna raised her left hand from DJ's back and smacked Trevor's chest to get him to stop.

"I want to talk to him," I said as I returned my eyes to my brother. Jason pursed his lips but didn't argue with me. Emily was quick to my side then and took the pot holders from my hands.

"What do I need to do?" she asked in a whisper with a small smile on her face and I smiled in return.

"The vegetables in the bowl need to be sautéed, the potatoes need to be mashed and mixed and the chicken needs to be brushed with the sauce on the counter," I said and Emily nodded before she gestured to Kim for her to help. Kim nodded and slid out her coat and handed it over to Jared before walking past me with a wink and into the kitchen with Emily. I sighed and walked over to where Jared and Paul stood, grabbing my coat from the hook behind the door that Jason had put up not too long ago and went out onto the porch with Paul. "You know he's watching us," I said softly as I put my hands in my pockets and walked over to the railing of the porch and looked out at the parked cars that filled the driveway/yard.

"I know," Paul said quietly as he walked over to me and joined me in looking out at the cars.

"So, we've got to make it look like we're talking things through," I said.

"I know," he said as he raised his right hand to brush away some of the hair that had escaped my clip from my face but I pulled away and walked down the stairs before going around to the side of the house by the garage where there were no windows for Jason to watch us. Plus, I wouldn't have to act so cold to him anymore.

The second he rounded the corner of the house and joined me, I grabbed him by his unzipped coat and pulled him close to me. The shifting of his weight made him stumble into me, but he caught himself easily and put his left hand on my back as he eased me against the side of the house and held himself up by pressing his right hand against the house, right next to my head. His heat surrounded me and the chill of the air was no longer a worry as I looked up into his beautiful dark eyes.

"A little feisty today, huh?" he asked in a whisper and I smiled before I rose up on my toes and kissed him briefly.

"Just a little," I said back and he smiled back. "You know, Leah doesn't seem anything like how you described. She was really nice when I officially met her." He scoffed as he pressed against me a little tighter, eliciting a small gasp from me as I my heart started to pound yet again thanks to his closeness and the feelings that always rushed through me when he was so close.

"That's because Leah's outlook on things is completely different than it was a week ago," he said. "She has something grounding her here and showing her that there is more to life than she could have ever imagined."

"Is that how you feel when you're with me?" I asked softly as I moved my hands inside his jacket and pressed my palms against his t-shirt clad chest.

"It's a little deeper than that now because we've been together for so long, but yeah," he said with a smile after he took a slow deep breath. He moved his right hand from the wall next to my head and brought it to the side of my face. He ran his thumb along my scar, his eyes looking at it with an expression I couldn't quite read before his eyes returned to mine. He looked at me for the longest time and just when I had been about to say something, he spoke again. "Marry me," he breathed and my heart spluttered while my tongue suddenly felt too big for my mouth.

"What?" I asked in a whisper, finally finding my voice after several long seconds of just staring at each other.

"I want to marry you, Harper," he elaborated. "Don't you want to marry me?"

"Of course I do," I said quickly, surprising myself with the fierceness of my tone. "I just . . . you're asking me now?"

"It felt right," he said with a shrug, but thankfully he hadn't moved away. The shock of the question finally wore off, and a small smile made its way across my lips.

"Do you even have a ring for me?" I asked and he frowned before he shook his head negatively as he lowered his right hand from my face and rested it on my hip.

"Do you want one?" he asked.

"It would be nice," I said as I slid my hands up his chest and neck to his face. "You know my answer already, however," I paused and ran my thumbs along his cheeks, wondering how I ended up being so lucky, "I want you to ask me that question again when you have a ring and Jason's permission to ask me."

"You're kidding," he said his brown eyes wide and I laughed lightly as I looked up at him. "You did see the way he was looking at me in there? I'm lucky I was able to walk away still intact."

"You know as well as I do that soon he'll know everything," I said. "He'll understand _everything_ and there will be no reason in the world for him to deny you what you want. Plus, I'm not even half way through my senior year of high school and you're trying to tie me down with the old ball and chain." He raised an eyebrow at my joke, but nodded. He knew that I would say yes to him in a heartbeat, but it really wasn't the time for us to be taking that step. We'd only just patched things up after his brief moment in the land of the stupid, and I didn't want anything to complicate it even more.

"Oh, I'll tie you down all right," he said with a grin before both I found myself off the ground. Yet again, my legs wrapped around his waist on instinct and my hands moved from his face to his shoulders. I gasped when his body pressed against mine tightly as he pinned me hard to the wall behind me and kissed me with such fire that I was pretty sure I forgot my own name for a second or two.

"Whoa," a deep voice said and Paul pulled his lips from mine and the two of us looked in the direction of the voice to see a smiling yet blushing Trevor standing there. "Um," he said before he cleared his throat and gestured towards the house. "Jason's about ready to come out and see what's going on, so, you guys might want to wrap it up." I blushed deeply when I finally remembered that I had a houseful of guests.

"Right," I breathed. "Paul, put me down." I tapped his shoulders and he looked at me. The love and lust in his eyes wanted me to kick everyone, Jason included, out of the house and lock the two of us in my bedroom; but that was never going to happen. I swallowed hard and forced a smile. "Come on, Paul, before Jason comes out." He sighed heavily before he lifted up slightly from me, which allowed me to settle my legs on the ground. They felt like jelly as I tried to walk, but I pushed through it and started towards Trevor, who was smiling at me. "What?" I hissed as I came to a stop in front of him while Paul stayed back. I knew he had to calm himself down, so, we were going to wait.

"Nothing," he said with a grin and I rolled my eyes as Paul came up to us and took my hand into his.

"All right, let's get inside," Paul said and the three of us headed towards the front of the house, but Paul leaned down and whispered quietly in my ear. "After dinner, Leah's going to ask Jason to go see a movie with her in Port Angeles," he whispered and I slowed my pace as we drew closer to the stairs. "I'll come over when their gone if that's okay." I looked up at him and smiled. I was tired of starting and stopping. I needed him. I needed all of him, and I was tired of waiting.

"You better," I whispered before I turned my eyes ahead and walked up the porch steps. Paul's grip on my hand became like iron and the low groan I heard rumble from his throat only made me more anxious for the night to come.


	23. Chapter 23

So, who is happy that it's Friday? I think everybody probably is if you don't have to work over the weekend. Thank you all so very much for your reviews and adds! I'm glad you guys are still sticking with me on this crazy ride! This is the chapter I'm pretty sure everyone has been waiting for and I hope I didn't disappoint. _Please_ let me know what you think!

**PLEASE READ: **This chapter contains adult situations. If adult situations in stories make you uncomfortable, you will miss nothing by not reading this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight_ series.

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Chapter 23

Thankfully, Jason had taken Paul's and my reunion much better than I thought he would. Everyone had left not long after dinner and just like Paul said Leah and Jason went to a movie in Port Angeles and given that they were going to a late show, Jason probably wouldn't be home until very late. I was finishing up the dishes by hand since the dishwasher washer was full and running when hot hands were suddenly on my hips and I was pulled back against a familiar body. I giggled as he leaned down and nuzzled his nose against my neck and kissed me behind my ear.

"I'm trying to do the dishes," I said rather breathlessly as his right hand moved up my side slightly and pushed my t-shirt up and out of the way so his hand rested on my skin just above the waistband of my jeans. "How did you get in here anyway?"

"Jason didn't lock the door when he left," Paul whispered before he kissed my neck again, which made me shiver and drop the plate into the filled sink with a splash. I got some of the dishwater on my shirt but I didn't really care at that moment. My attention was solely on Paul's lips as the moved along the curve of my neck from my shoulder back up to behind my ear. Ever since our little session outside it was like my body was tuned to everything Paul, and it was responding to every touch and kiss ten times stronger than it normally would have.

"He just left like ten minutes ago and you're already here?" I asked and he chuckled against my skin sending shivers down my spine.

"I was waiting, and don't worry, I locked the door already," he said softly, his breath dancing down the path his lips had just taken.

"Oh," was all I could manage as he nipped at my ear and tightened his hold on my left hip. His right hand started to dance across the skin of my stomach and I suddenly felt self conscious. He was dangerously close to touching the scars on my stomach and I quickly stopped his hand by covering it with my own. "Paul, I really need to finish the dishes," I said, my voice shaking a bit as I tried to get my head together. He sighed against my skin before he raised his head from my neck and placed a kiss on the side of my head.

"How much do you have left?" he asked, his voice muffled by my hair as he had rested his forehead against my head.

"Not much," I said. "I should only be about another fifteen minutes." I lowered my hand from his and he sighed again as he slid his hands from hips and stood to his full height behind me. I turned slightly as I looked up at him with a small smile. "I'm sure the TV can keep you busy until I'm done." He grinned as he shook his head.

"I've got something else to keep me busy," he said before he leaned into me and kissed me softly. "I think you'll like it." With that he walked out of the kitchen and I frowned as I watched him go before I turned around and returned to washing the dishes. I listened carefully, but I didn't hear a sound aside from the splashing of the water in the sink and the clinking of the dishes.

When I was done, I drained the sink and dried my hands before I pumped some lotion onto my hands and made my way into the living room rubbing the lotion into my slightly pruning skin. I turned off the light in the kitchen as I went and stopped short when I was surrounded in total darkness since the sun had gone down ages ago. The lights in the living room were off as well and the only light shining in the house was from my open bedroom door down the short hall. I took a deep breath and stuck my hands into the back pockets of my jeans and started to make my way towards the hall. I stopped outside my bedroom door and looked in only to laugh quietly as I took my hands out of my pockets.

"What's all this?" I asked as I stepped into the room and saw that Paul had turned down the bed and he had brought a few candles that he had lined up on my dresser and lit. Soft music that I knew Paul would never listen to in a million years was playing from the mp3 player he had set up on my dresser with the candles, and he had changed from his t-shirt and into a black wife beater shirt that fit him practically like a second skin. It was unfair just how beautiful he was and that genetic perfection of a man was mine. I was starting to feel a little light headed and he wasn't even close to me yet.

"I promised special, remember?" he asked with a crooked smile on his face before he walked around the bed and over to where I stood. Of course I remembered. I remembered what he said on the Fourth of July, how he wanted our moment together to be special. It was sort of hard to forget that day.

"I remember," I said softly and he held out his right hand to me. I smiled as I placed my left hand into his right and he gently pulled me completely into my room before closing the door behind me. He brought our joined hands to rest on his chest while his left hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me close to him before we started to sway to the smooth jazz that filled the room. "I didn't think you were jazz man," I said softly to break the silence that settled around us as we danced and stared at each other.

"I'm not really, but Jared suggested it," he said and I raised my eyebrows at his words.

"You talked to Jared about tonight?" I asked as I stopped swaying my body with his and Paul's posture stiffened.

"Sort of," he said.

"Care to elaborate on that?" I asked and he sighed.

"Before you, I'd been with two girls," he said, his face flushing lightly with his confession. I was surprised that he had only been with two girls, for some reason I was expecting more but relieved that there hadn't been. "Neither one was special, neither one was like you, and I wanted to make sure that I showed you that. So, I needed a few pointers and I'm not too proud to admit that, but if you tell anyone, I'll deny it until I'm dead and gone. Jared's the only one that I talked to and he knows better than to tell anyone." I laughed then and shook my head. He was trying way too hard and it was adorable. I pulled away from him and walked over to my dresser. I turned off the music and blew out the candles before I turned back around to look at him, only to find him looking at me with a frown on his face.

"I don't need music or candles to make tonight special, Paul," I said softly as I walked back over to where he stood and raised my hands to rest on his chest. "All I need is you. Not the guy you think you need to be." He smiled and brought his left hand to my hair before he pulled my auburn locks free of the hair tie I had secured my hair back with. He was always doing that, but I didn't mind because his fingers always felt like heaven as they ran through my hair.

"Good, because that music was starting to get on my nerves," he said and I laughed before he silenced my laughter with a kiss. My right hand slid into his short hair while my left slid over his shoulder and onto his upper back while he bent slightly and hoisted me up by grabbing the back of my thighs. He lifted me easily and my legs went around his waist as he walked the very small distance to my bed. He climbed onto the bed, resting on his knees, before he gently laid me back on the bed. Through all this our kiss never broke and I unwrapped my legs from around his waist and settled my bare feet on the bed with my knees bent and Paul's frame settled between them. His hands slid up my legs and to my hips before he pulled his lips from mine and raised back slightly so he was looking down at me. "Are you sure about this, Harper?" he asked.

"What?" I asked confused as I slowly came out of the fog my brain was lost in. He chuckled, I assumed at my expression, as his right hand left my hip to push my hair from my face.

"Are you sure you're ready?" he asked, his face sobering, and I understood his meaning. "I feel like I just assumed that-," he didn't get to finish because I raised my head up to his and kissed him briefly while my hands moved to his cheeks. I pulled back and smiled at him.

"You didn't assume anything," I said softly, "and if tonight is anything like that day at the beach, then I'm more than ready." I laughed lightly and he grinned as I slid my hands from his face and down his neck to rest on his shoulders. "Now, are you going to kiss me or what?" He laughed then as he leaned down and captured my lips with his.

Soon, his lips left mine and trailed along my jaw and neck. I turned my head slightly so he had better access, closed my eyes, and sighed quietly when his hands slowly started to push my t-shirt up. I took a deep breath when he pushed my shirt up over my breasts and I opened my eyes as he lifted his lips from my neck. Our eyes locked and I smiled at him before I rose up slightly and helped him out by pulling the shirt from my body. My hair fanned out around my head as I settled back down against the sheets and rested my arms at my sides while his arms set up a frame around me and he looked down at me. I was glad I had put on one of my prettier bras that morning. It wasn't lace or anything, but the white cotton was littered with small pink polka dots.

"You are so beautiful, Harper," he said while his eyes roamed my exposed skin and ample chest before settling back on my face.

"Even with these?" I asked as my right hand moved to my stomach and over the scars that rested there. Even without the scars, my body was far from perfect. I knew I wasn't fat, but I wasn't going to be working for Victoria's Secret anytime soon. However, Paul had told me once that he was glad I wasn't wafer thin. He said he liked having something to hold on to and that he didn't worry so much about hurting me because I didn't look like I was going to break

"Even with those," he said as he brought his left hand over mine and gently pulled my hand away from my stomach. My breath caught as he slowly moved down my body and settled his lips over one of the scars that rested just above my belly button.

I watched as he kissed the other three before he started kissing his way up my stomach. My chest was rising and falling heavily as my breath came in slow pants, and my skin felt like was on fire as he placed a kiss in the valley between my breasts. My head lulled back against the bed and my back arched against his lips when his right hand pushed away the fabric that covered my left breast and he took the soft peak into his mouth. I whimpered as my right hand moved to the back of his head and held him to me. Through the haze I could feel his left hand working the clasps of my bra loose from my back and when the fabric loosened around me, I knew he had succeeded.

He raised his head then and I opened my eyes in time to see him lick his lips and smile as he pulled my bra from my body and tossed it in the general direction of where I had tossed my shirt. He gave the same treatment to my right breast that he had the left before brought his right hand to my face and pulled my head up to meet his lips in a heated kiss. I sat up then, still engaged in the kiss with Paul, and he settled back on his knees. My hands moved to the hem of his shirt and I started pulling on the dark material. He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to mine as our heavy breaths mingled together. I pushed his shirt up from his stomach, our eyes locked and he pulled away from me, lowering his hand from my face while I pulled his shirt off and tossed it on the floor.

"And you call me beautiful," I said as I ran my hands across his chest and down his stomach. "You're perfect," I whispered as I leaned forward and pressed a kiss against his chest. I felt his muscles tremble under my lips and fingers as he took in a shaky breath before he took a fistful of my hair and slammed his lips down to mine.

The next few minutes after that sort of blurred together, but it wasn't long before I found myself settled against the pillows of my bed and Paul's hands undoing the button and zipper of my jeans as he kissed my stomach. I always thought I would feel nervous when I was with Paul on a level that I never imagined ever being able to reach before I met him; but I wasn't. I wasn't nervous and I wasn't scared, I was just excited. I watched him from where he laid me down as he pulled my jeans from my hips and slowly exposed my bare legs to his eyes, his hands caressing my legs as he did so.

I didn't know what it was about them, but he loved my legs and once he had freed them from the confines of my jeans, he kissed his way back up them. My heart felt like it was in my throat as he breathed against my panty covered center and then kissed my belly button before he continued up my body and pressed his lips to mine. The roughness of the denim of his jeans against my skin sent shivers through my body that he easily felt because he smiled against my lips. My right hand was in his hair while my left rested on his chest. His left hand supported his weight above me by resting against the mattress at my side and it wasn't until I felt the waistband of my panties lift from my skin that I realized where his right hand was.

I gasped and broke the kiss when I felt his fingers touch my center and gently run across the dampened folds of sensitive flesh. My eyes locked with his as the familiar shock wave rippled through my stomach and caused hips to shiver against his touch. My right hand left his hair and gripped onto the strong bicep of his left arm while my left gripped his right shoulder for dear life.

"Paul," I panted before I bit my lower lip to stifle the moan that threatened to escape. However, I failed in my attempts when I felt one of his fingers slip inside of me. "Ah!" I exclaimed as my hips automatically rose up and moved against his hand while my head and back arched back against the pillows. Paul's hand continued to move against my grinding hips and as he kissed my neck I felt another finger join the first in its journey. I could feel myself start to sweat as my breathing became more labored and just when I felt myself on the brink of the blinding light that had consumed me at the beach, Paul's talented fingers left me and I whimpered as I raised my head and looked up at his smiling face.

"Not yet baby," he whispered before he kissed me chastely and I groaned against his lips before I brought my hands to the sides of his face and deepened the kiss.

"I want to touch you," I said softly against his lips when I broke the kiss and he pulled his head back just enough so he could look down at me but not be too far from my lips.

"Huh?" he asked and I smiled as I lowered my hand from his face and slid them down to his chest.

"I want to touch you," I repeated.

"You are touching me," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Paul, I want to touch you," I said firmly as my right hand dance across his stomach and grabbed his belt buckle.

"Oh," he whispered and I smiled.

"It's only fair since you've touched me," I reasoned and I watched him swallow hard as I ran my finger along his skin just above the waist of his jeans. "However, you have to show me what to do so I know."

"Damn," Paul groaned out before he closed his eyes tightly and took a slow deep breath.

"Did I say something wrong?" I asked worried and he opened his eyes and shook his head as his dark orbs met my much lighter ones. What I saw in his dark eyes made me swallow hard because they were much darker than usual and the lust at that moment shined much brighter than the love in his eyes.

"No, you didn't say anything wrong," he said before he kissed me softly and removed himself from the bed. I sat up, not bothering to cover myself since I truly had nothing to be ashamed of with him.

His eyes were fixed on my face as he unbuckled his belt and jeans. In one swift movement he pulled both his jeans and boxers from his body and my eyes instantly moved to his newly exposed flesh and I couldn't stop the gasp from escaping my lips at the sight. Paul was definitely a well proportioned man. Nothing was small when it came to him. He climbed back onto the bed, but sat down on the bed next to me. Our eyes met once again and he carefully took my hand into his. His eyes were questioning, but I just smiled and nodded my head before I looked down at our hands and watched as he wrapped my hand around his member. He applied a little pressure to my hand that I mimicked as he guided my hand back and forth across the hardening velvet flesh.

"Let go," I whispered and he moved his hand away from mine, allowing me to touch him on my own. His breathing was heavy and shaky, so, I looked at him to make sure I wasn't hurting him; however, his head was tilted back and his eyes were closed as he breathed in and out heavily through his mouth. I realized then that I wasn't hurting him in the least. I returned my eyes to my hand and when I slid my hand back down to the base, my curiosity got the better of me. I slid my hand around his member and gently touched his sack, but before I could explore any more he grasped my wrist and pushed me down so I was lying back down on the bed.

"Stop," he said tightly and I looked up at him with wide eyes. "I can't take it anymore," he explained before he kissed me. Before I could return the kiss, he pulled away from me and had started to climb off the bed once more.

As he did so, he grabbed the sides of my panties and took off the only remaining item of clothing either of us was wearing. He stood from the bed then, tossing my panties onto the floor and I remained where I laid, suddenly too anxious to move. I simply watched as he picked up a small foil package from my nightstand and ripped it open. Just watching him slide the condom on made my center tingle and a dampness settle there. He climbed back onto the bed and my legs instantly opened for him and as he settled himself there he leaned down and kissed me softly. A sudden thought rushed through my mind as we kissed and the nervousness I had yet to experience hit me like a ton of bricks.

"It hurt a lot when . . .," I said, unable to get the words completely out, when he pulled his lips from mine and judging by the look he was giving me he understood what I wasn't able to say.

"It might hurt a little," he said softly as he pushed my hair from my face, "but I promise it won't feel anything like that."

"I know," I said quickly. "It's just . . . I wasn't nervous until now."

"I can stop," he said and I grabbed his face.

"You do and I'll kill you," I said. He laughed and the nervousness was gone just as quickly as it had come.

"All right," he said and I smiled at him before I brought his lips back to mine in a sweet kiss. While we kissed, I felt him against me and as he slowly slid himself into me I broke the kiss and buried my face in his neck while my hands moved down to his arms and gripped them tightly. "It's okay, Harper," he said softly into my hair and I let out a shaky breath as I lifted my head from his neck and looked up into his eyes. My right hand moved to his face as he shifted himself slightly and sent a shock wave through me.

"Show me how it's supposed to be," I whispered. "Make love to me, Paul." He leaned down and captured my lips with his before he slowly started to move his hips against mine. It hurt for a second, but not for long and soon my hips were moving with his, meeting him thrust for thrust. "Paul!" I screamed as waves of pleasure rippled through me and I felt my inner muscles clench him tightly as he stilled his movement against me. I couldn't breathe and he placed a kiss in the hollow of my throat, which seemed to wake up my lungs as I took a deep gasping breath.

"That's it, baby," he said roughly before he started moving again. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. I smiled at the satisfied smirk I saw on his lips and he leaned down and kissed me before he moved his face the crook of my neck. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, lacing my fingers together, as he picked up the pace and I could feel the sensation building in my stomach again. My legs wrapped around his waist, seemingly creating a whole new angle as his body pounded into mine. "Fuck," he muttered before he started kissing, nipping, and licking at my neck. White light erupted behind my eyes and I screamed again as he grunted and moaned into my neck while I felt him jerk repeatedly inside me.

With both slowly came back to Earth, panting and sweat covered, and neither of us made any attempt to dislodge or move away from the other. He raised his head and kissed me deeply. My right hand moved into his hair while my left remained splayed against his back as he kissed me. He broke the kiss and I opened my eyes to look at him just as he opened his eyes and I smiled at him. He smiled back and wiped at the sweat on my forehead and the hair that stuck there.

"Are you okay?" he asked me softly and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said just as softly through my smile. "You?"

"Perfect," he said in return.

"That was . . . amazing," I said and his smile morphed into a grin.

"It was, and we'll be able to do that again," he said and I blushed.

"True, but not tonight. Jason will be home in a little while," I said and he sighed, his grin slipping.

"Right, not again tonight," he agreed. "I can wait," he added and I smiled before he kissed me gently. While he kissed me he pulled himself from me and broke the kiss as he rolled away from me only to pull me close to him once he was settled. "I'm going to go and wash up and then I'm going to start a bath for you. I want you to soak for awhile while I clean up your room and change your sheets."

"Okay," I said softly and he kissed me chastely as he climbed from the bed, gathered his clothes, and left the room. I smiled before I pulled the sheet up over my body and wrapped my arms around my pillow as I laid there waiting for Paul to let me know when the bath was ready. It had been even better than I imagined it was going to be. I didn't regret it, and not one second of it would I ever forget.


	24. Chapter 24

Hey everyone! Thank you all so, so, much for your reviews! I'm really glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter. I hope you like this one just as much. As always, please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the _Twilight _series.

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Chapter 24

_Three Months Later_

"Jason stop pacing you're making me nervous!" I snapped as I looked up from the gifts I was wrapping on the coffee table and up at my brother who was pacing behind the sofa.

"Am I crazy?" he asked me as he finally stopped pacing and I laughed lightly. "Come on, Harp, don't laugh at me this is serious." He walked around the sofa and sat down and looked at me before he rested his elbows on his legs.

"Do you love her?" I asked and he gave me a look like I was stupid for asking the question, which made me smile as I returned my attention to the gift in front of me. "Well, we both know she loves you."

"Will you just answer my question," he said and I laughed again, but didn't look at him.

"The fact that she has the ability to transform into a small horse sized wolf doesn't bother you, right?"

"Harper," he said warningly and I looked up at him expectantly before he sighed heavily. "No, it doesn't," he said tightly and I nodded before I returned my eyes to my work. Jason had been let in on Leah's big secret shortly after they started dating. He'd taken it rather well to everyone's surprise.

I had thought for sure he was going to need some time away once Leah told him, but his reaction was pretty much the same as mine to the whole thing. He had just needed an hour to process everything and then it was like it was before she told him. One thing about Leah's situation with the pack that I wished was the same for Paul was she didn't have to patrol anymore. Jacob, since he was her Alpha, had given Leah a reprieve from her duties to the pack. He had said she had been through a lot and deserved some time to actually enjoy life. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Leah wouldn't be joining then any time soon.

"I don't think you're crazy," I said finally. "I think you're crazy to be so on edge about it. You already know what she's going to say."

"I don't know that for sure," he said heavily as I finished taping the wrapping paper to the box that held Anna's gift and I looked at him. He was leaning back with his right hand running down his face before it fell hard into his lap.

"Do you honestly think the girl is going to tell you no?" I asked.

"It's only been three months," he said and I smiled.

"Jason, you could have asked her after three days and she would have said yes," I said, which made Jason smile. "I'm sure you're worrying yourself over nothing."

"You're right," he said and I nodded.

"Finally, we agree on something," I said and he tossed one of the small throw pillows at me. I laughed while he chuckled and stood from the sofa and walked to the foyer where he slid on his snow boots and grabbed his coat. "So, are you going to ask her tonight?" I asked and he took a deep breath before he nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said and I smiled before I quickly stood from where I sat on the floor and rushed over to him. I hugged him tightly and he laughed before he hugged me back. I pulled back from him, but kept my hands on his shoulders as I looked up into his eyes.

"Do you have Grandma Rose's ring?" I asked and he nodded while he patted the front left pocket of his jeans with his empty hand. Grandma Rose had been our father's mother. She had given the engagement ring she had received from Grandpa Oliver, who had gotten it from his own mother, to our dad when he asked our mom to marry him, and mom had left the ring to Jason in her will. Now, Jason was going to give it to Leah over a quiet dinner in Port Angeles after he asked her to marry him. "She's going to love it," I said as I lowered my hands from his shoulders and he smiled.

"I hope so," he said.

"It's from you, Jason, and it comes from a line of love filled marriages. Mom and Dad's isn't the last one that ring will know," I said. His face grew serious for a minute before he moved his coat to his left hand and brought his right hand up to my face. "What's wrong?" I asked and he shook his head.

"As weird as this whole thing is with Leah and the guys, I finally understand," he said and I frowned. "I haven't had the guts to tell you, but I'm feeling brave all of a sudden."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"When Leah told me everything," he said as he lowered his hand from my face, "I realized that Paul really was the reason behind you coming around and that Paul wasn't the bad guy I used to like to make him out to be." I smiled at him and nodded. When he learned about everything, he had simply looked at me questioningly and I had nodded in response. We never talked about it until that moment and in a way I was glad we were.

"You had a hand in it too," I said. "If you hadn't have decided to move and to Forks, Washington of all places; I wouldn't be me again." He scoffed a quiet laugh before he nodded.

"I guess this move really was the best thing we could have ever done, huh?" he asked and I nodded before I hugged him again. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "Don't stay up to late, okay? You've got classes in the morning."

"I won't," I said as I pulled away from him and smiled. The following day was the last day of school before the two week holiday break, and I was looking forward to the days off and dreading them at the same time. On Christmas Eve I was going to officially meet Paul's parents. I'd talked to both of them on the phone, but had yet to meet them. His mother was especially anxious to meet me because she wanted to see the girl that tamed her 'Pauly' as she called him. "Good luck, even though you don't need it," I said as he shrugged on his coat and pulled on his beanie.

"Thanks. I might be home late."

"Or not at all," I added and he rolled his eyes, but a grin was on his face nonetheless. "Drive careful, okay? It's supposed to snow later tonight."

"I'll be careful," he promised and with that he left the house. I walked over to the door and locked it before I went back to wrapping gifts. When I was done I had a physics test to study for, which meant at least an hour of cramming.

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"Harper," a soft voice whispered as a gentle hand ran through my hair. I sighed quietly as I slowly opened my eyes only to see Paul leaning over me and I frowned when I saw him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked and he laughed.

"Hello to you too," he said and I smiled as I sat up only to groan at when my back protested. I had fallen asleep on top of my physics textbook at the coffee table in the living room. "What's wrong?" he asked as I tried to rub my back.

"I don't recommend falling asleep hunched over a table," I said. "It kills your back." He smiled and he shifted so he was kneeling behind me and started rubbing my back. I lowered my hand and sighed in contentment as his fingers worked magic against my aching muscles. "Mmm, thanks," I said and he laughed lightly. "What time is it?"

"Almost nine," he said and I sighed quietly. I started studying at seven, but I was pretty sure that I hadn't made it past the first page of my notes and textbook.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I closed my eyes while he continued to rub my back, easing away the knots.

"I tried calling you about five times, and when you didn't answer I panicked a bit," he said and I smiled. I opened my eyes and looked over my right shoulder to see him smiling slightly as he looked back at me.

"A bit?" I asked when I saw that he was shirtless yet again and wearing a pair of half hazardly pulled on sweatpants. "Did you phase and race over here when I didn't pick up after the first ring of the fifth call?"

"Pretty much," he said with a grin as he stopped rubbing my back and settled on the floor next to me, his back resting against the coffee table so we faced each other.

"Well, I'm fine and in one piece," I said and he nodded before he took my left hand into his and laced his fingers with mine. "How'd you get in?"

"You told me where you guys hide the spare key, remember?" he asked as he chuckled lightly and I felt like such an idiot. I was pretty sure my brain had melted out of my ear while I had been asleep.

"Right," I said and he continued to smile at me.

"Trying to learn through osmosis?" he asked as he gestured to my book with his head and I raised an eyebrow.

"You know what osmosis means?" I asked, jokingly of course and he knew it because he rolled his eyes.

"And here I thought you loved me for my mind. I'm not just a beauty, Harper," Paul said and I couldn't keep the serious expression on my face anymore as the smile that I had been fighting finally broke free. Paul joined me and laughed.

"Of course you're not," I said with wink and he shook his head before he leaned into me and kissed my forehead. I sighed quietly and looked at my textbook and open notebook. "I think it's safe to say that I'm going to fail my physics test tomorrow if I can't even make it through studying for it."

"You'll do fine," he said. "You're smarter than you give yourself credit for."

"At least you have faith in me," I said with a smile that he easily returned. "Even though you came here out of worry for me, I'm glad you're here. I've missed you lately." We hadn't spent a lot of time together over the last week. We'd been talking on the phone, but I'd been helping Anna in her search for a Christmas present for Trevor and a nice dress to wear to his family's house on Christmas Eve. Trevor's parents had invited her to join them for their family dinner, which was a formal affair and meant that she felt pressured to look her best. Even though she'd met his parents in passing during her employment at the market, she was a nervous wreck just like I was.

"I've missed you too," he said with a smile before he leaned in and kissed me gently. I'd missed his kisses even more and I deepened the kiss as I raised my right hand to his head and held his lips to mine. Eventually he pulled back slightly, but he pressed his forehead against mine as we both caught our breath. "So, Jason out with Leah?" he asked and I couldn't stop the giggle from escaping my lips.

"Yep," I said and he pulled his head back and looked down at me.

"What's with the smile?" he asked with a frown at my amused expression.

"I guess I can finally tell you without ruining the surprise," I said and he raised an eyebrow. "Tonight, Jason is asking Leah to marry him." Both his eyebrows rose and his mouth fell open slightly.

"Seriously?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, with our grandmother's ring and everything. I've been dying to tell you since he talked to me about it a couple of weeks ago, but he made me promise not to say anything," I said and he looked away from me and at the floor behind me. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked and he looked back at me.

"Nothing," he said softly. "What does the ring look like?" he asked and it was my turn to frown.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious," he said, a small smile coming to his face.

"Well, it's not gaudy," I said as I pictured the ring in my mind. "It's a nice white gold band with a small diamond surrounded by a cluster of smaller diamonds. It was our great-grandmother's ring originally before she gave it to Grandpa Oliver when he asked Grandma Rose to marry him. Grandma Rose gave it to Dad so he could give it to Mom and during the reading of our parents' will; we found out that Mom left the ring to Jason. It really has more sentimental value than monetary, and I think Leah will really like it."

"Is it the kind of ring you'd like to have?" he asked and I shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe," I said.

"Do you know what kind of ring you would like?" he asked and I found myself shrugging again. "If you had to describe your dream engagement ring, what would it look like?"

"Are you trying to get ideas or something?" I asked, finally catching on to the reason behind the game of twenty questions we had going on.

"Humor me," he said with a pointed look and I sighed quietly as I took a minute to think. I wasn't big on jewelry in the first place and I knew that whatever Paul picked out would be perfect, but he wanted an idea and I hadn't the slightest clue what to tell him. "You have to have some sort of idea what you'd like, Harper," he said gently as he urged me on.

"Something simple," I said finally as I looked back up at him and into his eyes, "a single stone, but not a huge stone, and maybe just a plain band or a small design on it." I sighed quietly as I gently shook my head. "I guess I really don't know. I've never really thought about it." He nodded and I let go of his hand and moved so I was straddling his legs with my hands on his shoulders while his found my hips. "Did telling you about Jason asking Leah get you thinking about it again? You haven't brought it up since September." He sighed quietly as he gently ran his thumbs along my hips.

"Just because I haven't brought it up, doesn't mean that I haven't thought about it," he said simply. "I just want to make sure that when that time _officially _comes that I get you a ring that you'd be proud to wear, something that you'll love and never want to take off."

"Paul, I will love anything you pick out for me because it'll come from you," I said before I raised up slightly and pressed my lips to his. He kissed me back while his hands slid from my hips and grasped my backside, which made me gasp and pull my lips from his. "You and your wandering hands," I whispered and he grinned, the seriousness that had been in his eyes just seconds ago was gone and replaced with the playful shine that I had come to know much better over the last few months.

"I can't help it. You're always so tempting," he said through his grin. He kissed me again and I melted against him, my arms going around his shoulders while his left hand tightened its hold on my butt while his right gently ran over the back of my thigh. My hands were just starting to wonder when Paul broke the kiss. "I should go," he said softly and I opened my eyes.

"Why?" I asked and he smiled as his left hand left my backside and settled itself on my hip.

"Because you need to study and I've got patrol tonight with Jacob and Embry," he said and I sighed before I nodded my head and climbed from his lap. He adjusted himself a bit before he stood and I stood with him.

"Be careful," I said as I looked up at him. He smiled and placed a chaste kiss on my lips.

"You don't have anything to worry about," he said gently. "We haven't had any problems in a long time. We only patrol to make sure it stays that way."

"Still," I whispered as I put my right hand on his chest and he covered my hand with his.

"I'll be careful," he promised me and I nodded before he kissed me again. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," I said and he slipped away from me and to the door. He winked at me as he opened the door and went out into the cold December air with practically no clothes on. I laughed and shook my head. "You're crazy but I love you," I said quietly before I walked over to the door and locked it before returning to my physics notes and my preparation for the utter failure of my test.

* * *

"As I predicted last night, I'm pretty sure I just failed that test," I said as I walked out of physics and headed to lunch with Anna who laughed.

"Whatever you say, Harper," she said with a shake of her head before she let out a startled gasp. I frowned until I saw Trevor slide up beside her with his arm securely around her waist.

"So, are we still on for pizza and movies at my place tonight?" Trevor asked and Anna and I nodded. Clarissa had moved out of Trevor's house shortly after her break up with Jason, so, I didn't have a problem with going over to Trevor's anymore and we'd been planning the small get together for the last week. Trevor's parents would be leaving for Seattle that afternoon to pick up Trevor's sister, Lauren, from the airport and were going to be staying the night in the city so they didn't have to make the four drive back through the snow and the dark.

"Yeah," I said. "Jared's giving Paul a ride up here and he's going to ride with me to your place after school." Paul was really phasing and coming up to the school that way, but I couldn't tell them that so Jared had 'volunteered' to give him a ride.

"Great," Trevor said as he looked down at Anna. "So, have you gotten my present yet?" he asked and Anna blushed lightly while I smiled. Trevor knew Anna was having a hard time finding him a gift and he enjoyed teasing her about it.

"You know I haven't," she said weakly and he pulled her a little closer to him.

"It's all right, babe, you don't have to get me anything," he said before he kissed the top of her head.

"Of course I have to get you something, but you won't help me out by telling me what you want," Anna said as she looked up at him.

"I've already got everything I want," he said with a small shrug. "I've got the prettiest girl in Forks on my arm and not a care in the world right now. I've got it made." Anna's blush only deepened as she looked away from him and tucked her hair behind her ears before she adjusted her glasses on her face. Anna didn't think very highly of herself still, but Trevor made a point to remind her just how beautiful she was. I think it was finally starting to work since she no longer rolled her eyes or protested his compliments.

"So, did Leah say yes?" Anna asked as she looked at me and I smiled at her.

"She did," I said and Anna smiled in return. "Jason was just getting home as I was leaving for school. Go figure," I continued as I rolled my eyes and Anna laughed as the three of us walked into the cafeteria.

"What are you two talking about?" Trevor asked with a small frown as we walked to our usual table. We'd stopped sitting with Trevor's other friends when Kara started giving Anna a hard time. Jealousy was an ugly thing and Kara couldn't really handle the fact that Trevor loved Anna and not her.

"Jason asked Leah to marry him last night," I said as I sat down in my seat and pulled my lunch from my bag. I had packed a lunch that morning since I had extra chicken salad from the night before that I didn't want to waste.

"Really?" Trevor asked as he unwound his arm from Anna and placed his bag in an empty chair.

"Yeah."

"That was quick," Trevor said and I shrugged.

"It's not like they're getting married tomorrow," I said. "They love each other and something tells me that they're one of those couples that'll be forever." Trevor just smiled and shook his head before he said he was going to grab some food and left Anna and I alone.

"Do you really think that they'll be together forever?" Anna asked as she pulled out her own lunch and I looked at her, a small smile coming to my face as I took in her curious expression.

"I do," I said seriously and she smiled sadly as she looked away from me. I watched her eyes scan the room and I could tell the exact moment her eyes landed on Trevor.

"I'd like to think that Trevor and I could be together forever, but we're both still young and with us going to different colleges the chances of us staying together aren't that great," she said as she kept her eyes focused on him across the room. "He's probably going off Florida next year and I'll more than likely be in Chicago. He'll be surrounded by girls that I couldn't ever compete with on my best day, and it'll only take one night for me to be a distant memory."

"Anna, Trevor loves you and he wants to be with you. He's got a better head on his shoulders than most eighteen year old guys," I said and she looked at me then.

"My dad loved my mom at one point, but he left her. He left me," she said, finally voicing the insecurities I knew she had. Her mom died and that was why she now lived with her aunt since her father wanted nothing to do with her. "How do I know Trevor won't do the same?"

"Talk to him about it," I told her.

"I can't do that," she said as she shook her head and I smiled at her.

"Yes you can," I said. "If I could tell Paul _everything_ that happened to me, I think you can tell Trevor how you feel." She took a deep breath and nodded her head before she smiled.

"You're right," she said lightly. "I'll talk to him about it, but not tonight. I want to have a nice time tonight and no more serious talk." I laughed and nodded my head before I tucked into my lunch. Trevor rejoined us and kissed Anna's cheek before settling into his seat next to her and the conversation Anna and I just had was forgotten for the moment and we were once again the teenagers we were supposed to be.


	25. Chapter 25

Hey everyone. Thank you all so much for being so patient with me. I'm still job hunting, but I finally managed to finish this chapter. I can't make any promises on when Chapter 26 will be posted, but hopefully it won't be two months wait. I'll do my best, but my life really sucks right now. Anyway, enough with the self pity because there is no point to it. I hope you guys like this chapter. Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

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Chapter 25

Later that night we had worked through three pizzas and one movie and were halfway through the second movie, and since I had already seen the movie I had excused myself to use the bathroom. After using the facilities and washing my hands, I paused a minute and looked at my reflection. I pulled my hair up and turned my face to the right allowing me to clearly see the scar that rested on my face. I didn't mind it so much anymore, not like I used to, but it still bothered me sometimes.

I lowered my hair and sighed quietly as I looked at my pale complexion and the light smattering of freckles that splashed across my cheekbones and the bridge of my nose. They had made an appearance over the summer and hadn't faded, but they were barely noticeable unless someone stood extremely close to me. I made a mental note to trim my eyebrows soon and possibly get my hair trimmed before meeting Paul's parents, and then I found myself wondering how that day was going to go. I wondered what Paul's parents were going to think of me when they met me in three days. I wanted them to like me so much and even though I had talked to them over the phone, meeting them in person was a whole new ballgame. There was a gentle knock on the bathroom door before it opened slightly and Paul stuck his head in.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked and I smiled at him.

"You know it's rude to walk into a bathroom when it's occupied," I said and he rolled his eyes before he walked all the way in and closed the door behind him. He rested his back against the bathroom door and smiled down at me.

"I knocked," he said.

"And allowed not even a second to pass before you opened the door," I said. "For all you knew I could have still have been sitting on the toilet."

"Nothing I haven't seen before," he said with a shrug and I blushed deeply as I smacked at his chest, but he laughed lightly and caught my hand before he tugged and pulled me closer to him.

"Maybe, but I don't ever want you to see me sitting on the toilet," I said and he raised eyebrow.

"Why?" he asked.

"For the same reasons I don't ever want to see you sitting on the toilet," I said. "It's just something that doesn't need to be seen." He smiled before he leaned down and caught my lips in a chaste kiss, but when I didn't respond as quickly as we wanted he pulled his lips from mine.

"What's wrong?" he asked and I sighed before I rested my head on his chest.

"Nothing," I said softly as I closed my eyes and settled my hands on his waist. Paul laughed softly before he kissed the top of my head.

"You know you can't lie to me," Paul said and I raised my head, my eyes meeting his. "Tell me what's going on in that head of yours."

"I'm worried about Monday," I said and he frowned.

"Why?" he asked.

"I want your parents to like me," I said with a shrug.

"Harper, Mom is already crazy about you and Dad only wants me to be happy," he said with a small smile on his lips as he raised a hand to my face and pushed my hair aside. "Besides, they know that no matter what they think I'll be with you until the day I die."

"That's what has me worried," I said and the frown was back on his face. "What if when they finally meet me in person, they don't like me and then say something to you. I'm worried you'll get mad at them and then your relationship with your parents is ruined because of me."

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you that you have nothing to worry about," Paul said and I sighed again before I rested my forehead against his chest.

"Well, I won't stop worrying until the day has come and gone," I said dryly and he put a finger under my chin and pulled my head up so I was looking at him once more.

"Okay, you can worry but when you see that you've had nothing to worry about I get to say I told you so," he said and I smiled.

"Fair enough," I said and he smirked as he moved his hand to cup my face.

"We've got to seal the deal," he said gently and I smiled.

"Oh? How?" I asked and his smirk morphed into a smile before he winked and leaned down, capturing my lips with his. That time, I kissed him back immediately and gripped his t-shirt. Just when I felt his tongue glide across my lower lip there was a curt knock on the bathroom door.

"Okay, you two," came Trevor's amused sounding voice on the other side of the bathroom door. "I hate to break up the party, but I think you two should come out. I brush my teeth in there." I laughed as I pulled my lips from Paul's and Paul sighed as he gently pushed me away and then pushed himself off the bathroom door before he opened it to reveal a smirking Trevor. "Sorry, man," Trevor said as he looked at Paul and I rolled my eyes.

"We were only talking, Trevor," I said and he turned his smirk to me.

"Sure you were," Trevor said, "because you always push your shirt up your waist when carrying on a conversation." I frowned before I looked down only to blush deeply when I saw that my shirt was indeed pushed up my torso, revealing not only my flesh to Trevor's eyes but my scars as well. Hastily I pulled my shirt down and blushed crimson as I gave him a sheepish smile. He along with Anna knew of my past, so, I knew he wouldn't say anything, but it was still humiliating for him to see them.

"We should probably get going," Paul said and Trevor chuckled before he nodded his head. Paul smiled and took my hand before he walked me out of the bathroom and down the stairs. Anna was sitting on the sofa in the living room, but looking our way with a small smile on her face. I blushed again and shook my head at her, which made her smile only grow.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning. I'll be to your place at ten," I told Anna when Paul let go of my hand to get my coat and my boots for me from the foyer.

"Okay," she said as she nodded her head. We were going into Port Angeles one more time in hopes of finding something for her to give Trevor and for a nice dress for her to where on Monday. If we couldn't find anything, I was debating on making the four our drive to Seattle to see what the bigger city had to offer. Trevor plopped down on the sofa next to her when Paul came back into the living room, already wearing his coat and boots, with my things in hand. I quickly put my things on and smiled at the couple sitting on the sofa.

"Now, don't you kids have too much fun," I said teasingly as Paul laced his fingers with mine. I got the blush I wanted from Anna and Trevor just smiled at me. "Bye guys," I said and they chorused their goodbyes while Paul waved and the two of us left the other couple alone. "So, are you ready to call it a night?" I asked him as we walked out into the darkness.

"Not really," he said. "It's barely nine, and your curfew isn't until midnight. Since I'm probably not going to see you tomorrow, we should make the most of the next three hours."

"What do you have in mind?" I asked as we came to a stop next to my truck. Paul moved so he was standing in front of me and looked down at me with a small smile on his lips. I know longer felt the cold of the night and my smile didn't waver as I met his gaze evenly.

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure we can think of something," he said and I laughed before he leaned into me. He kissed me deeply as he pressed my back against the passenger door of my truck and I thought of several things we could do to kill the time.

* * *

"Anna, hold still or I'll end up burning you with the iron," I said with a smile as Anna and I stood in my cramped bathroom. I was being the best friend that I was by helping her get ready to spend Christmas Eve with Trevor's family.

"Sorry, Harper, I'm just nervous," she said softly as she looked at me through my reflection in the mirror.

"I know, and believe me I'm right there with you," I said as I let the loose curl go free and smiled at my handy work.

"Thanks for helping me," she said. "I probably would have made myself look like a clown with a rats nest for hair if I tried to do this myself."

"I'm pretty sure you would have managed fine on your own, but the way your hands are shaking your makeup may have been a little jagged." She laughed then and I chuckled as I unplugged the curling iron and handed Anna her glasses. "Take a look." She put on her glasses and smiled at her reflection. I had curled her hair in big loose curls and kept her makeup nice and light. On Saturday, we had ended up making the long drive to Seattle and found a simple emerald colored dress that fight her perfectly and fell neatly to her feet. She looked lovely and I knew she had nothing to worry about.

"Thank you, Harper," she said softly. "It's perfect."

"Okay, are you two done in here yet? I've got to shower and get ready to head over to Sue's," Jason said as he walked over to the open door and Anna and I looked at him. He smiled at Anna. Jason knew that Anna wasn't the most confident girl in the world, so, he always complimented her when I helped her get ready for a date or when she dressed up for an event. "You look great, Anna. I like your dress."

"Thanks," she said before she walked out of the bathroom and into my bedroom. I smiled at Jason and looked at him expectantly.

"Well, how do I look?" I asked and Jason laughed as he looked at me.

"You going to a barn raising or something?" he asked while taking in my plaid shirt and faded out jeans. I had yet to get myself ready for my evening with Paul and his parents, but I didn't have to dress up like Anna did. Paul told me a pair of jeans and a nice sweater would suffice and that's what I planned on wearing.

"Ha, ha," I said before I unplugged the curling iron and gathered my makeup and other things, but left the hot iron on the counter. I walked past Jason and he stopped me to kiss the top of my head before he let me pass and I laughed quietly and continued on to my room where Anna stood, slipping on her shoes.

"I'm going to fall in the snow in these things," Anna said. "Can't I wear my boots and then put these on before I go into his house?" She looked at me with hope shining in her eyes and I shook my head.

"No, you can't," I said firmly as I put my makeup bag on my dresser. "Think of it this way," I said as I grabbed her black pea coat that we had also picked up on our trip to Seattle. "Your shoes give you a reason to cling to Trevor's arm as he walks you to his car and into the house." Anna laughed and shook her head as she took her coat from my hands.

"You know, my gift to you was nothing compared to everything you gave me," she said quietly as she looked at me. The dress, shoes, and coat had been part of her present from me to go along with the leather bound journal I had gotten her. Jason had allotted me a generous amount of money to spend on Christmas presents for our friends, and I had gotten everyone something I knew they were going to love. However, I was a little on edge about Paul's gift. I wasn't sure if he was truly going to like it. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at Anna's words.

"Please, Anna, I love the bracelet," I said as I held up my left wrist showing her that I was still wearing the silver bracelet Anna had made herself using her aunt's equipment. Her aunt may not have been the nicest of people, but the jewelry she made was pretty, and Anna had acquired her talent. "Besides, you gave me the best present I could have asked for that first day of school. You're my best friend, and I haven't had one of those since middle school." Tears were in my eyes as I spoke and Anna sniffed. "Don't cry you're going to ruin your makeup!" I said quickly and Anna laughed before she tossed her coat on my bed and gave me a hug.

"You're my best friend too, Harper, and I love you like a sister," she said and I smiled as I hugged her a little tighter.

"Back at you," I said and she laughed lightly before we pulled apart and Anna carefully wiped at her eyes. "Don't worry, nothing smudged," I told her as she adjusted her glasses and smiled. Just then there was a knock on the door and we both knew it was Trevor. "I'll take your coat and you wait in here until I call your name. We got to give him the whole effect."

Anna rolled her eyes but nodded as she laughed. I smiled and grabbed her coat from the bed before I rushed out of my room and down the short hall. I walked over to the front door and smiled as I opened the door and saw Trevor in a black suit and I could see his dark green button up under his black coat. I had called him and told him the color of Anna's dress and that he needed to find a shirt that matched. He wasn't wearing a tie, but he looked great all the same.

"Hey, come in," I said excitedly and Trevor chuckled before he walked in and I closed the door behind him. "So, were your parents okay with you leaving to come and pick up Anna?"

"Yeah," Trevor said as he nodded. "My Aunt Muriel can't wait to meet her since Mom's talked her up so much. How is she?"

"Nervous, but fine," I whispered as I handed him her coat. "Here," I said and he frowned as he took Anna's coat from my hands and then looked at me curiously. "Don't drop it." His frown deepened before he smirked, but I ignored him and looked towards the hall. "Anna, Trevor's here!" I called and after a beat, Anna emerged into the living room practically glowing. I smiled and turned my eyes to Trevor to see him staring at Anna with an open mouth and her coat falling to the floor. I laughed and shook my head as I picked up her coat and tapped his shoulder. He tore his eyes away from her and looked at me. "I told you not to drop it," I said and he blushed lightly as he took her coat from me and looked back to Anna who had walked over to us.

"Hi," she said with a small smile and Trevor smiled brightly as he looked down at her.

"Hi," he said back. "You look . . . beautiful," he said before he moved closer to her and kissed her cheek gently.

"Thanks," Anna said and I smiled as I watched them. "Harper insisted on these high heels, so, you might have to give me a hand in walking through the snow and ice."

"I'll carry you if you want me to," Trevor said, meaning every word, as he held open her coat to her. Anna laughed quietly and shook her head.

"You don't have to go that far," she said. "You're arm will be just fine." Anna turned around and slid her arms into her coat while Trevor settled it on her shoulders. She turned back around and smiled at me before she laced her arm with Trevor's. "Thanks again, Harper," she said and I smiled before I hugged them both.

"Have fun, and let me know how it goes," I whispered to Anna and she nodded. The pair left and once I locked the door, I went into my room to get my clothes together so when Jason was finished in the bathroom, I could hop in the shower.

* * *

Two hours later, it was nearly six o'clock and Jason had already headed over to Sue's place to spend Christmas with Leah, Seth, Sue, and Charlie. I had walked out of my room, dressed and ready to go with my snow boots on and coat in hand. I just had to grab the bag of presents I was taking with me and my purse before I was going to leave and head over to Paul's. I was humming a Christmas song that I couldn't really remember the lyrics to as I pulled on my coat and gathered everything I needed.

After locking up the house, I was on my way and the nerves had made their presence known once more. I felt sick to my stomach, and had a strong desire to turn my truck around and head back home, but I continued on. Paul was right. I had spoken to his parents countless times on the phone, how was it going to be any different once I met them in person. By the time I had reached Paul's parents' house on the reservation, I had convinced myself that the night wasn't going to be disastrous and everything was going to be just fine. I parked my truck next to Paul's and climbed out of the cab. I was leaning in to the cab to grab the bag of presents and my purse from the seat when I felt a heated hand settled on my exposed backside.

"You know, I kind of like this view," came Paul's chuckle filled voice and I rolled my eyes as I latched onto the bags and pulled them out, righting myself in the process.

"Funny," I said tightly as I looked up at him. The moon was nearly full that night and I loved looking at him in the moonlight. He was so good looking and the gentle light only made him look even more amazing. I imagined it made me look decent, but Paul would probably say I was beautiful. "Merry Christmas," I said, losing my stern face and smiling up at him. He laughed then and leaned into me. He pressed his lips gently to mine before he pulled back with a soft sigh.

"Merry Christmas," he whispered back. "You ready?" he asked as he pulled his head from mine and I nodded.

"Yep," I said and he smiled before he closed my truck door, took the bag of presents from me, and then took my hand into his, lacing our fingers together as we walked towards the house. Paul's parents' house reminded me a bit of Sam and Emily's place, but since it was winter I wasn't sure what flowers Paul's mother may have had growing. We were no more in the door when I was blinded by a mass of black and dark gray and the scent of cinnamon washed over me as two arms held me tightly. My hand had been ripped from Paul's as I staggered back a bit and dropped my purse onto the floor.

"Mom!" came Paul's voice and suddenly I could see again as an older woman, who was around my height pulled back from me and raised her hands to my face before settling them on my shoulders.

"Hush, Paul, I want to look at this girl of yours," his mother said and I held her dark eyes with my light eyes once she had her fill. "Lovely," she said as she let go of my shoulders and I blushed as I looked at her. "Come in, come in," she said as she grabbed my hands and pulled me further into the small but very inviting home. Paul's mother was about my height, maybe an inch shorter, and aside from her smile Paul hadn't gotten much of his looks from his mother.

"Are you going to let her go anytime today, Mom?" Paul asked and she laughed as she pulled me into the living room where a tall, broad man stood smiling. She let go of my hands and moved to the man's side, settling herself under his arm. Paul was quick to my side and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, which made me smile because we were a mirror image of how his parents stood. "Now that Mom's unofficially welcomed you to the family, I'll introduce you," Paul said, with a pep in his voice. "Mom, Dad this is Harper; Harper these are my parents, Mary and Kevin."

"It's nice to finally meet you in person," I said and Mary laughed lightly before she nodded.

"I couldn't agree more, dear," Mary said before a loud 'ding' echoed from the kitchen. "Oh, I've got to check on dinner. Make yourself comfortable and I'll be back." She took off in a flourish that made me laugh, which in turn made the Paul and his father laugh as well. I looked at Kevin and my smile grew. For an older man, Kevin was still very handsome and it was easy to see where Paul got his looks.

"Don't mind Mary too much, Harper," Kevin said. "She's been anxious to meet you for the last two days and I have a feeling after dinner she's going to be falling asleep in her rocking chair."

"Sounds like Mom," Paul said and Kevin smiled at him before he looked back at me.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked and I nodded.

"Sure," I said.

"We've got soda, water, and coffee; what'll be your poison?" he asked and I laughed again, letting go of all the tension that had been knotted in my stomach for days.

"Soda is fine," I said and Kevin nodded as he looked at Paul.

"Same for me, Dad, thanks," he said and Kevin winked at Paul before he left us alone in the living room. "See. Not as bad as you thought it was going to be, huh?" he asked and I turned to wrap my arms around him as I looked up at him.

"So far so good, but the day is still young," I said and he rolled his eyes.

"They love you, just like I do," he said before he kissed me chastely and gently pushed my arms away from him. "Come on, let's hang up your coat and get the bag of presents from the hallway." I nodded and followed Paul, feeling infinitely better than I had that morning. I guess he had been right. I really had nothing to worry about when it came to his parents. It had barely been five minutes since I walked through the door, but I already felt like I belonged.


	26. Chapter 26

I'm alive! Hey everyone. First, I want to say thank you so much for your patience and I really hope that I haven't lost any of you because of the long wait for new chapters. Due to my jobless status I actually had to cut costs and disconnected my internet connection and a few other luxeries. I can happily report that my life is back on track and I finally have a job. It's part time and a little less money than what I was making at the job I lost, but it's a job and it's an income and I really like it so far. As you can see I once again have the internet hooked up (which was done today by the way) and I hope this extra long chapter makes up for my long absence. The next chapter (which I think shall be the last) should be up within a week. Thank you all so much for your reviews of encouragment during my hiatus, and I really should stop babbling now. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

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Chapter 26

For the days leading up to Christmas dinner with Paul's family, I had expected dinner to be awkward and quiet but it turned out to be anything but. Paul's mother was like a ball of energy that night and I had never heard someone talk as fast as she was. When dinner was over, she got up to clear the table and do the dishes, but I stopped her. "Mary, Paul and I can clean up. You and Kevin go and relax," I said and Mary smiled.

"Nonsense, Harper, you're out guest and Paul hates to do dishes," Mary said, which made me smile as I turned my head and looked at the young man in question.

"You don't mind helping me with the dishes, do you Paul?" I asked softly as I batted my eyes and a goofy grin appeared on his face before he shook his head negatively.

"No, I don't mind," he said before he stood and started clearing the table. Kevin was chuckling quietly while Paul carried a small stack of plates into the kitchen and Mary looked at me surprised.

"See, no worries. You and Kevin go and relax and we'll get this cleaned up," I said and Mary smiled again before she reached over to me and brought her hands to my face. She pulled me close and kissed my cheek warmly and then pulled back.

"You're such a sweet girl," she said. "I'm glad our Paul found you."

"Me too," I whispered, surprised by the motherly gesture before Kevin linked his arm with his wife's and led her out of the small dining room and into the living room. I grabbed a couple of the serving bowls and started towards the kitchen only to bump into Paul as he was coming out.

"You owe me," he said and I raised an eyebrow. "For tricking me into helping with the dishes." I laughed, which earned me a mock scowl from the man in front of me.

"I didn't trick you," I said calmly after my laughter subsided. "I asked."

"Mhmm," he said as he crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"Okay, since you're so convinced that I tricked you, I'll make it up to you later tonight," I said in a whisper so his parents wouldn't hear and it was his turn to raise an eyebrow as he uncrossed his arms from his chest and looked at me curiously.

"How?" he asked and I could feel my cheeks flushing slightly before I smiled coyly at him.

"I picked up a few things for myself during my trip to Seattle with Anna," I said softly, "and since Jason is planning on staying the night with Leah I think tonight would be a good night to show you some of the things I bought." Excitement flashed in Paul's eyes as he licked his lips and smiled.

"Really? What kind of things?" he asked and I laughed lightly as I rolled my eyes.

"If you have to ask that question, then maybe you shouldn't get to see them," I said as I started to head into the kitchen only to have Paul catch me by the waist. I looked up at him just as his lips descended on mine. I nearly dropped the bowls in my hands at the passion behind his kiss, but I managed to keep a hold of the bowls and they remained firmly in my grasp as my lips eagerly returned the kiss Paul had decided to grace me with. I whimpered in protest as he pulled his lips from mine, earning a chuckle from my shape shifter boyfriend.

"Does that make up for my stupidity?" he asked, his deep voice quiet, and I opened my eyes to look up at him.

"Maybe. You might have to do a little more convincing later though," I said and he grinned before his hands slipped from my waist. His hands had left me just in time because Kevin suddenly walked into the dining room and I blushed deeply when I remembered that we were in his parents' house.

"It was really quiet in here," Kevin said as he looked between the two of us. "I just wanted to make sure you two were okay."

"We're fine, Dad," Paul said as he stepped away from me and went over to the table to gather a few more dishes. "I was just talking to Harper about the plans for tomorrow. We're going to be spending the day with her brother and Leah and I just needed to make sure what time I'm to be there." Kevin looked at me and I smiled and nodded, agreeing with Paul's fib. I certainly didn't want his father to know what we were really talking about.

"You're mother's fussing with the gifts, so, hurry up," Kevin said as he looked at Paul, who nodded and followed me into the kitchen while Kevin went back out into the living room. Paul sent a grin my way and winked, which made me roll my eyes yet again. The jerk actually liked that his father almost caught us. I was so going to make him pay later.

* * *

"You sure you don't want to stay at my place?" Paul asked as he drove my truck to my house and I smiled as I rested my head against the headrest and turned so I was looking at him.

"Jason will have a fit if he comes home in the morning and I'm not there," I said, "and I plan on getting up early to make sure you're up and moving so Jason doesn't know that you stayed the night."

"He's going to know anyway, Harper," he said and I looked at him.

"How?" I asked and he laughed.

"My car won't be parked outside for one, and he'll know I drove you home in your truck. Plus, he's not stupid," Paul said. "I'm pretty sure he knows we've had _sleepovers_."

"Oh," I said as I raised my head and looked out the windshield, mortified.

"Relax, Harper," he said as he reached over and took my hand. "You really don't think Leah and Jason keep their nights together PG, do you?"

"Thank you, now I'm thinking of Jason and Leah having sex," I said as I looked at him with a frown and he laughed loudly after he glanced at me.

"Don't worry," he said as he turned into my driveway and parked the truck in front of the still house. "I'll help erase those images from your mind. Come on," he said and we climbed out of the truck. Paul was quick to my side and helped me through the slippery snow and ice before we walked up the porch steps. Once inside, I sighed as the warmth of the house washed over me and it wasn't long before Paul and I were lost in each other.

_

* * *

_

Six Months Later

"Leah, you look beautiful," I said with a smile as I fixed the veil into her chin length hair which was styled beautifully in gentle curls thanks to Kim's sure hands. Leah smiled brightly as she looked at my reflection in the mirror.

"Thanks Harper," she said warmly before she looked down and smoothed out the strapless white dress she wore. Leah's strong frame looked perfect in the dress that had only taken her mere minutes to find when she had gone to Seattle with Emily and Kim in tow. I hadn't been able to go because they had gone while I was still in school, but I didn't mind. I got to see Leah in the dress when we all had gone to our fittings. Leah had asked me to be a bridesmaid along with Kim while Emily served as her matron of honor. After Leah had imprinted on Jason, the old relationship between the cousins had been pieced back together and they were once again the best of friends.

"Jason's not going to know what hit him when he sees you walking towards him," I said and she along with Emily and Kim laughed. "I bet he's going to pass out cold."

"He won't," Leah said with a gentle smile. I smiled and nodded before I stepped away from Leah, raising the moderately full skirt of the royal blue strapless dress I wore. Throughout the whole planning of their small wedding, I had seen sides to Leah that I hadn't been expecting and according to Paul the new sides to Leah had somewhat disturbed her fellow pack members since they had never seen her so happy or so, for the lack of a better word, girly. There was a gentle knock on the closed door and I looked to the girls.

"I got it," I said before I made my way over to the door and opened it slightly only to see Jared standing on the other side. "What's up?" I asked in a whisper and Jared chuckled.

"Could you come give me a hand with your brother?" he asked. "He's about ready to throw up." I sighed quietly and looked to the others.

"I'll be right back," I said and they all nodded too engrossed in making Leah perfect for the ceremony which was due to start in minutes. "What's wrong with him?" I asked after I closed the door behind me and Jared laughed again.

"He's forgotten his vows and he's like having a panic attack or something," Jared said. "Sam's trying to calm him down, but it's not really working which is only making Sam want to smack some sense into him."

"Jason get's nervous easily. He's probably worried he's going to screw up and ruin the day for Leah," I said as I followed him down the stairs of Leah's mother's house and to the living room where the men of the wedding party were congregated. The wedding was taking place in the backyard and I could hear the murmurs of the guests as they waited for the ceremony to start. "Jason," I said as I walked over to my older brother and he turned around and looked at me with a heavy sigh. "Breathe," I said as I raised my hands and straightened his tie.

"Harp, I've forgotten everything," he said. "I'm going to look like an idiot up there."

"Jason, you're going to be fine," I said. "You'll remember the words the second you see her, and let me tell you, she looks beautiful. Now, take a deep breath through your nose and let it out through your mouth," I ordered and Jason did as I said. "Everything's going to be fine," I assured him once more. "Now, get it together so I can finish helping Leah get ready." Jason nodded and I turned away from him, catching Paul's eye. I smiled at him and as I went back into the hall, I could feel his eyes on me. I made it to the stairs, but before I could placed one high heeled covered foot on the first step a warm hand grabbed my wrist while an arm wrapped around my waist before I was pulled into the coat closet. "What the hell?" I asked quietly and I heard a click and light filled the coat closet. Standing in front of me, with his arms on my waist was Paul. "What are you doing?" I asked quietly as I brushed away a stray auburn curl that had escaped the pinned up hairdo Kim had created and looked up at him.

"You look beautiful," he said quietly before he leaned in to kiss me chastely but I pulled my face away from his. He looked at me with a frown, but I smiled at him all the same.

"First, I'd kiss you but I don't want to have to redo my make up, and second thank you, but you couldn't have waited to tell me that before we walked down the aisle together?" I asked and Paul grinned as he shrugged his shoulders and his grip tightened on my waist.

"Couldn't wait," he said quietly before his left hand left my waist and took hold my left hand. "So," he said as he fingered the white gold band that held a modestly sized diamond, "when are you going to start wearing this on the right finger?" he asked and I smiled softly.

"When I get the nerve to tell Jason that we're engage," I said back and Paul rolled his eyes at me, which was a habit I was pretty sure he picked up from me.

"Harper, I _officially_ asked you to marry me months ago. You should probably tell him that you're engaged before you give him the invitation to the wedding and ask him to walk you down the aisle," Paul said and I sighed quietly.

"I know," I said, "but he's been busy trying to get everything ready for today. I didn't want him to take his focus off of Leah. When they come back from their week long cruise, I'll tell him." Paul smirked and shook his head.

"Has he even asked you about this?" he asked still fingering my ring and I shook my head no.

"I don't think he even noticed it. Hell, I could have probably dressed in neon colors for the last three months and he wouldn't have really noticed anything different." Paul chuckled before he leaned into me and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

"Tell him today, or I will," he whispered in my ear, his breath making me shiver as it washed over my skin, before he left me standing in the closet with the door opened. Jared was standing in the foyer and frowned as he watched Paul walk away and then looked at me and my flushed face which only darkened when I saw his grin.

"What?" I hissed as I turned off the light, walked out, and closed the door behind me while my dress rustled and swooshed.

"What were you two doing in the closet?" Jared asked and I cleared my throat as I glanced into the living room to see a still smirking Paul standing with Sam and Jason before I looked back at Jared.

"Talking," I said defensively and he raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" he asked and I scowled at him.

"Yes, really," I said. "Now shut up or I'll tell Kim you were being mean," I said before I raised my skirt slightly and raced up the stairs. His only response was a loud laugh before he called out to me.

"Tell them they've got five minutes before the show starts," Jared said and I rolled my eyes. Men. When I had returned to the room, Sue had joined the girls at some point and I smiled at the older woman whose dark eyes were bright with happy tears.

"Hey, Sue, how you doing?" I asked her and she smiled as she fawned over the back of Leah's dress.

"Wonderful," she said.

"Everything okay?" Leah asked looking over her shoulder and I nodded as I turned my smile to her.

"Everything is fine and Jared said for me to tell you the ceremony starts in five minutes," I said. The words were no more out of my lips when a soft knock sounded on the door.

"That's probably Seth," Sue said before she stepped away from Leah and walked to the door. I walked around so I was standing in front of Leah while Emily handed her the bouquet of white and blue carnations. Leah looked at me and the smile that had been on her face all morning had yet to disappear.

"So, you ready to be my sister?" I asked and she laughed before she moved her flowers to her right hand. She wrapped her left arm around me and pulled me close to her. She didn't say anything as she hugged me, but the hug held her answer and I smiled as I returned her embrace.

"Okay, come on, we've got to get moving," Kim said as she pulled me away from Leah with a smile on her face as she handed me my own small bouquet of white carnations. I laughed lightly and shook my head before I smiled at Seth who stood there confined in the suit that matched the ones the boys had been wearing downstairs. He grinned at me before he winked and walked over to his sister while Sue, Kim, Emily, and I left the room and went downstairs. The guys and Charlie were waiting downstairs and the eight of us made our way towards the back of the house and the yard where the guests were waiting.

* * *

"So, how does it feel to be a married man?" I asked Jason as we danced across the dance floor the guys had built solely for the purpose that no one would fall in a dip in the grass as everyone danced. Leah was dancing with Seth not far from where I danced with Jason and my brother smiled at me.

"No different," Jason said, "just a little more official." I laughed quietly as I adjusted my right hand in his left and he glanced at our joined hands before he smirked and looked at me. "When exactly are you planning on telling me that Paul asked you to marry him?" he asked and I stopped swaying.

"What?" I asked and he chuckled.

"You've been wearing this ring off and on for the last few months," he said, "and it doesn't exactly look like a casual ring you wear on occasion."

"I was going to wait until you and Leah got back from your honeymoon," I said, my face flaming red as I started swaying to the music with him once more. "However, Paul said I needed to tell you today or he was going to, but obviously you knew. How long have you known?"

"Since you walked through the door after your date with Paul on his birthday," he said. "That was pretty smooth of him, proposing to you on _his _birthday."

"_How_ did you know?" I asked and Jason chuckled.

"Harp, you were glowing and practically waltzing into the house," he said. "It was kind of obvious."

"Oh," I said and he kissed my forehead before he sighed gently and smiled down at me.

"Can you believe our lives now, Harper?" he asked.

"Not really," I admitted with a smile of my own on my lips.

"A year ago, I was worried that you weren't ever going to have a normal healthy life and you know if we would have moved anywhere else, you probably wouldn't be where you are now," he said and I nodded. "I'm proud of you, Harp, and I'm so happy to have my sister back."

"And I'm happy to have my brother back," I said and Jason's smile grew before he glanced over my shoulder. His grip loosened on me before a felt a warm hand on my shoulder.

"Mind if I cut in?" Paul asked and Jason let go of me and shook his head as Paul spun me into his arms.

"Not at all," Jason said. "I'm going to go steal my wife away from her brother anyway." Paul and I laughed as we looked at each other and he started to lead me over the dance floor. However, I pulled my hands from his shoulders and brought them to my chest.

"What are you doing?" he asked with a frown and I smiled as I pulled my engagement ring from my right ring finger and held it out to him. His frown only deepened and he stopped swaying. I laughed and rolled my eyes as I held my left hand out to him.

"I'm not giving it back, stupid, I want you to put it on the hand it's supposed to be on," I said and his frown disappeared as his blinding smile took over his face before he took the ring from my right hand and slid the ring onto my left ring finger. I giggled and he bent down slightly as he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist before he lifted me from the built dance floor and spun me around while he kissed me. I could feel several pairs of eyes on us, but I didn't care and the wolf calls from the guys made me blush but I didn't pull away from Paul's kiss.

For the first time in a very long time, I was truly happy and life was perfect. Nothing was ever going to change that.

* * *

Night had fallen and after helping Sue clean up after the reception, Paul was driving me home. Jason and Leah had driven to Seattle to spend the night before their flight to Florida the following morning for the Caribbean cruise they were going on for their honeymoon. We were silent as Paul drove, me just holding his hand and watching the scenery pass by in a slow blur. He was in no rush to get me home, and I wasn't really in one either.

"So, did Jason and Leah make a final decision on where they're going to live when they get back?" Paul asked casually and I turned to look at him, the dashboard lights illuminating his face. He had taken off his suit jacket and tie and the white button up he wore was open exposing the white undershirt he wore that clung to his muscles nicely.

"They're going to live on the reservation, in Leah's house," I said slowly and I watched his left hand tightening on the steering wheel. "I'll be staying in the house."

"Alone? How long have you known about this?" he asked and I bit my lip.

"A while," I said and he glanced at me.

"I don't want you staying there alone," he said tightly and I rolled my eyes.

"Paul, I've been staying alone in the house for a while," I said. "Jason spent most of his nights with Leah over the last couple of months. It's not that big of a deal. The house is always locked up tight and I'm not afraid anymore."

"I know," he said, "but I don't want you staying alone."

"Well, you can't exactly move in with me. Don't you have to stay on the reservation?"

"Not necessarily," he said and for some reason my heart started pounding in my chest and my breath started quickening.

"You mean, you would move in with me?" I asked and he chuckled as he glanced at me once more.

"Of course," Paul said and I smiled. "Did you think I wouldn't?"

"No, it's just . . . I didn't think you could live off the reservation, you know, because of the pack," I said and Paul sighed as his thumb ran over the back of my hand.

"I have to talk to Sam, but you don't really live that far from the line," he said, "and once we're married we'll have a house on the reservation. A nice one, not the crappy one I've been renting."

"The crappy one you've been renting would be fine so long as I'm with you," I said and he glanced at me, a small smile on his face, but he shook his head negatively.

"No, we're going to have a nice place; Harper; I promise you that," he said. "It'll be a house that's ours and one we can raise a family in and be proud of. I've already got something in mind."

"Oh you do?" I asked and his smile grew slightly as he kept his eyes on the road.

"I do," he said. I didn't pry anymore because Paul looked lost in thought as he drove and a comfortable silence settled between us. "You know, I can't wait until I get to say those words in front of our families and friends," he said suddenly and I looked at him.

"What words?" I asked.

"I do," he said and I smiled when he glanced at me as he turned into my driveway. He put his truck in park and we climbed out of the truck and walked hand in hand to the house. Once inside, I turned on the light, slipped off my high heels, and walked over to couch before flopping down onto the couch with a huff. Paul smiled at me before he sank down onto the couch next to me, put his left arm around my shoulders and reached over his lap to take my right hand into his.

"When do you want to get married?" I asked him suddenly as I turned my head so I was looking at him. Since he asked me to marry him, we hadn't talked about it; mostly because I was still trying to wrap my head around everything.

"October," he said and I frowned.

"This October?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yeah," he said with a smile and my eyes widened.

"Paul, that's only a couple of months away. There's no way we could put it together in a couple of months," I said.

"Sure we could."

"It took Leah and Jason eight months to plan everything," I said. "We've got three."

"We can do it," he said, his smile bright on his face, and I found myself smiling back. I was only eighteen and fresh out of high school, but I was almost nineteen and I knew what I wanted. Paul was mine forever and we could wait to get married and start a family, but I didn't want to wait. I wanted what Sam and Emily had; I wanted what Jared and Kim had; and I wanted what my brother and Leah now had. I wanted that life with Paul, and there was no doubt in my mind or my heart about that.

"Okay," I whispered and if it was even possible, his smile grew. "Okay," I said a little firmer, my own smile growing. "Let's get married in October." He pulled me closer so I was practically lying in his lap before he leaned down and kissed me. Yes, my life was definitely perfect. Finally.


	27. Epilogue

**PLEASE READ: **Thank you all so much for your reviews! I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter. Sadly, this is the final chapter for 'Who I Am' and I hope you all like it. I already have another idea for a story, which is another PaulOC. However, it could be written for any male character really. Would you all be interested in another PaulOC story or would you like me to try my hand at pairing up another male character? Thank you all for reading and your patience with me the last couple of months, it really does mean a lot to me and you guys are so great. Like I've said before, I'm pretty sure I have best readers on the site. Let me know what you think, and your thoughts on my posed question.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

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* * *

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Epilogue

For once the living room was quiet as I sank down onto the sofa, laying back on the soft dark brown material with a sigh only to wince when something poked into my side. Quietly groaning, I raised my back slightly and pulled the offending object from behind me before I laid back on the sofa. I laughed at the action figure in my hand before I tossed it in the general direction of the toy box that rested in the corner of the living room. I was exhausted and beyond thankful for the quiet that surrounded me. It had been a long and hectic day, and just as I closed my eyes and started to drift off into a much deserved nap, the sound of quick little feet and a giggle reached my ears. Suddenly, a tiny body threw itself on my uncovered stomach. I let out a little 'oomph' as I opened my eyes and looked at the smiling face of my three year old daughter, Olivia.

"Hi Mama," she said and I smiled at her before I pulled her up on the sofa with me and she sprawled her small frame on top of mine, her head resting on my chest as she sighed softly.

"Did your Daddy and your brothers ware you out?" I asked her softly as I gently played with her reddish brown hair that was pulled back in a ponytail, which had been neat that morning but now was messy thanks to the games she had been playing. Olivia didn't verbally answer; she just nodded her head as her thumb found its way to her mouth. That was a habit I was trying to break, but it wasn't affecting her teeth just yet and she didn't do it that often; only when she was really tired. I turned my head a bit and saw her eyes were already closed and I knew she was nearly asleep. I sighed quietly as I laid my head back and closed my eyes, fully intending to take a nap with Olivia lying on me. However, someone was against me because I heard Paul's deep chuckle from above me. I opened my eyes and smiled at him.

"I was wondering where she had run off to," he said, his voice quiet as he squatted next to where we laid. "You look beat."

"I've been going strong since five this morning," I said. "I got used to the boys being in school every day, now that summer's here I've got to get used to them running me ragged again." Paul chuckled before he picked up our sleeping daughter and kissed me on the forehead.

"I'm going to put her in her bed, and you should go lay down," he said. "That way the boys won't wake you like they did yesterday." I sighed as I nodded and slowly sat up.

"All right," I said. "I'm just going to watch them until you come back down." Paul nodded and carried Olivia up the steps of the house and to her bedroom. The house had gone through a lot of changes since Paul and I first moved into the house after our wedding ten years earlier.

When we first moved in it had been a small ranch house with two bedrooms and a large kitchen, it had been more than enough room for the two of us. However, as our family grew so did the house and the once one story home became a two story home with a wraparound porch. The guys had worked so hard on the house, Paul more than any of them, and it was beautiful. The dream home that Paul had always wanted for our family, which grew faster than we ever thought it would. I smiled as I padded my way through the dining room/kitchen area and leaned against the door frame of the sliding patio door as I watched my three sons chase each other around the yard.

A week after our second anniversary, I found out I was pregnant which was the result of several months of trying. Three and a half months into the pregnancy we were in for another surprise. There wasn't just one baby on the way, there were two. Brandon and Braden arrived in the summer, July to be exact and they were set to turn eight in a few short weeks. Lucas was next when the twins were almost three. Olivia had been a surprise, but a welcome surprise. She was the girl I had been wanting, and even though she was three I finally had an ally in the male dominated household.

Thankfully, Brandon and Braden weren't completely identical but they were close. Braden's skin was a little lighter than Brandon's, but with summer coming the limited sunlight we did get would darken his skin slightly since the boys practically lived outside. Brandon liked to wear his hair a little longer than his brother and their eyes were different colors. Brandon's eyes were brown like Paul's, but Braden had hazel eyes, a murky combination of my blue and Paul's brown. They both looked a lot like their father, so, I knew when they became teenagers we were going to have our hands full.

The twins were rambunctious balls of energy, where Lucas, my sweet Lucas, was quiet and gentle. However, let him loose with his brothers and they rubbed off on him. Lucas surprisingly took more from me than Paul. He had Paul's brown eyes and a light copper tone to his skin, but he had a variation of my nose and my lips. He was only five, but he was already too smart for his own good. He was reading and even writing at a second grade level, and the school had talked to Paul and me about skipping him to the second grade. He was going to be tested at the end of July, and I had a feeling he was going to do more than well enough to qualify to skip first grade.

Olivia was the baby and a complete and total Daddy's girl. At three she already had Paul wrapped around her little finger and all she had to do was give him those puppy eyes she had already mastered. Olivia took after me, even more than Lucas. Kim called her Mini Harper on several occasions, and I couldn't agree with her more. Unlike the boys who had gotten Paul's brown hair, Olivia's hair was redder, more on the auburn side but not quite. Her skin was lighter than any of her brothers but still tan and her eyes were a lighter hazel than Braden's. Paul had stopped phasing when she was born, but said that he would probably take it up again when she became a teenager. He vowed to keep the boys away from his little girl until she was thirty. We weren't the only ones with a family of our own, most of the guys were in the same boat we were.

Jason told us we were crazy for having four kids under six when Olivia came; but he was a proud uncle and father to his own small brood. Leah's worries about having kids stopped when she retired from the pack shortly after she and Jason married. A year into the marriage she had a healthy baby boy and a year later a girl. They had decided to stop at two, and they were all healthy and happy. Plus, all of our kids were close in age and got along amazingly well.

Emily and Sam had added two more kids to their family. Jared and Kim had waited to have kids and only recently had their first baby, a girl who already took after her mother. Claire and Quil had just started officially dating and Embry had met his imprint while on a road trip to Seattle four years ago. Thankfully, she was a local girl and the pair was getting married in a few months. Seth hadn't met his imprint yet, but the young man was still the same bubbly guy he had always been.

"Mommy!" Lucas cried when he spotted me and raced to and up the back steps before he ran to me. I laughed as I squatted down and scooped him up into my arms before I stood fully. He was getting big, so, it was a little harder for me to lift him but I could still pick him up. He was panting a bit because he had been running around with Brandon and Braden, but he was smiling as he looked at me.

"Are you having fun?" I asked him and he nodded as he smiled. "You're brothers aren't being too rough with you are they?"

"No Mommy. They're letting me play with them," he said with a laugh before he kissed my cheek and kicked his legs slightly to have me put him down. I did as he wanted and he went racing off down the stairs and into the yard again, going after Brandon since Braden was chasing him with water gun in hand. Warm familiar hands were settled on my hips before I was pulled back against Paul's chest. I sighed quietly as I leaned back against him and he wrapped his right arm around my waist, holding me to him, before he placed a kiss on the side of my head.

"They're going to sleep well tonight, aren't they?" he asked, his breath washing over the top of my head. I laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, I just hope Olivia will go to bed when she's supposed to tonight. It's a little late for her to be taking a nap," I said. It was a little past four in the afternoon, and usually had all the kids in bed bathed and in bed by eight. With her taking such a late nap, I had a feeling she was going to up for a while.

"I'll get her to bed tonight, don't worry," Paul said and I nodded before I turned around in Paul's arms and slid my hands up his chest and around his neck. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as he raised his left hand to my face and brushed away a stray curl that had fallen out of my ponytail.

"I'm tired," I said simply, but from the look on his face he knew that I was keeping something from him.

"Harp, you've been tired a lot lately and I know with the boys being out of school it's been a little rough, but are you sure you're feeling okay?" he asked and I lowered my hands from his neck to his chest and just let them rest there.

"Other than feeling tired, I'm fine, but . . ." I said trailing off, my heart starting to race in my chest. I had been trying to find the best time to tell him some news I had found out three weeks earlier.

"But what?" he asked, his voice a whisper and worry clear in his eyes as both his hands settled on either side of my waist and gripping me tightly. My right hand let his chest and grabbed his left wrist before I swallowed the lump in my throat and moved his left hand to settle over my lower abdomen.

"But in a little more than six months we're going to be a family of seven," I said quietly, my eyes never leaving his. He stared at me stupidly for a second as my words sunk in and I was worried he was upset until I saw the corners of his lips twitch upwards.

"You're pregnant?" he asked, his voice at normal level, and I could feel his fingers press slightly into my stomach and his hand tense under mine. I nodded, unable to speak, and he smiled before he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me hard on the lips. I had been so worried that he was going to be upset. We hadn't talked of having any more kids and my hands were full enough as it was, but like Olivia this baby was a surprise, a blessing but a surprise all the same. My worry at his reaction was long gone as he kissed me deeply, pouring his happiness into me from his lips.

"Eww!" came a chorus behind us and Paul and I pulled apart before we looked towards the yard and at the three little boys standing on the porch steps looking at us with disgusted looks on their faces.

"Gross, Dad, girls have cooties," Braden said and Paul and I laughed.

"Yeah, Dad," Brandon said.

"Mommy doesn't have cooties," Lucas argued, "if she did, we'd have them too because she kisses us when she tucks us in bed." Brandon and Braden looked at Lucas before they looked at each other.

"He's right," Brandon said and Braden nodded before they shrugged at the same time. They ran inside, gently pushing past Paul and me before running to the fridge where they each grabbed a juice box. Lucas followed suit, but slower than his brothers and he actually closed the fridge door behind him. As they disappeared into the living room, the sound of the television filled the quiet air and I sighed quietly as I looked up at Paul and he looked at me with a grin on his lips.

"We sure we want to add any more crazy to our lives?" Paul asked and I smiled.

"The crazier the better in my opinion," I said. "I don't think I could handle too much sanity and quiet."

"True," Paul said before his grin morphed into a smile as he looked down at me and once again pushed my hair from my face. "I love you, Harper." I never got tired of hearing those words and there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't say them to me.

"I love you too," I whispered back and he leaned into me, capturing my lips with his in a gentle chaste kiss. I probably was crazy for loving the hectic and anything but ordinary life I lived, but I didn't care. Sanity and normalcy were overrated anyway.

**The End**


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